Dependence
by Infinite Snow
Summary: Ichigo is used to being the 'let-down', the 'stain', and the 'baggage' of her family. But when she gets invited to study at St. Marie's, she embarks on a journey to find out who she is and learn it's okay to not always be independent. A little help can go a long way. [Henri/Ichigo]
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys it's Infinite Snow! I got this story idea because growing up, I felt like nothing I did was enough for my parents. I felt one-upped by somebody else. Like: I could do something, but my parent's colleague's daughter or son could do it better. I felt like a let-down and so I kind of relate to Ichigo on some level.**

 **I made her a bit OOC in a sense that she's not as emotional, dense, clumsy nor bad at academics like she is in the manga and anime. I am doing this because I am trying to portray myself. It has a special meaning, so please don't get angry at me when she's too OOC for your taste. It has a purpose.**

 **Anyways… I have been really liking the Henri/Ichigo ship A LOT! I mean, Kashigo is great and all… but it's redundant and there are so many fanfictions for that pair! Also… Henri's tsundere in a way, a bit cunning but hey, he is cold on the exterior like Makoto, but in a different way. I want to experiment too. I think they're my new YP OTP.**

 **I really, really do NOT like Mari/Henri ship at all. I do like Mari (when she's not being all arrogant about her accomplishments). And I do feel bad for her when she gets heartbroken. I have her happy ending in mind, because I do love her too (not as much as Ichigo, though). BUT I HATE FRANCOIS! Sorry but no pairing for her lol.**

 **The theme song of this fanfiction is: "How Far I'll Go" from the Moana movie soundtrack, because it will describe Ichigo for the most part in this story.**

 **Also… in the next chapter I will show the list of character pairings. SO, STAY TUNED!**

Hi. My name is Amano Ichigo.

I'm the let-down of my family. Allow me to explain.

My mom is a musician and my dad is an artist. I had taken piano and art lessons and still my skills in either of them paled in comparison to those of my sisters'. Why? Because playing an instrument or painting on an easel was never my passion. And because I didn't want to conform to my rigid family, I got shunned by my parents, but not directly. They would just always focus on Natsume, my little sister, the star of the household.

Don't get me wrong, I love her. She never excluded me like my parents did, even though we rarely hung out. She was just… busy. A child prodigy, really. Nothing but piano recitals and art exhibits. My parents would parade her around like a trophy while I was the stain on the family name. I was such an embarrassment to my parents that whenever public would ask who I was, I was simply Natsume's friend.

No one will love me the way I am. And surprisingly… I accepted the cold, hard truth.

-x-

Ichigo was home… all alone. She had to pick out a dress for her to wear to her little sister's piano recital. Her parents had gone to go buy a dress for Natsume, because they wanted her to, 'be as beautiful as Aurora'.

 _I think Mulan, Merida and even Tiana are underrated,_ Ichigo sighed as she pulled out a plain, pale blue dress.

The door opened and she could hear the excited chit chat of her parents gushing over Natsume and the perfect dress they found for her. It was a pink dress, but a very lavish one. In Ichigo's opinion, it was far too extravagant to be for a mere piano recital. However, she honestly didn't care, as long as it wasn't against her free will.

They were about to leave when Natsume stopped their parents and said, "Wait for Ichigo!"

"Oh, she doesn't need to come if she doesn't want to," their mom said.

"If you want, you can watch TV," their dad said, pleading that she did stay.

"No! I want onee-chan to come!" Natsume argued.

"I promised you anyways," Ichigo smiled only at her sister, taking Natsume's outstretched hand, "I will come. Only for you."

Their parents groaned but Natsume didn't pay them any heed. Honestly Natsume hated how her parents literally acted like Ichigo never existed. Tightening her hand around Ichigo's hand, Natsume huffed angrily and dragged them to the backseat of the car, ignoring their parents' protest to let Ichigo stay home.

The car ride was pin drop silent. Ichigo didn't say a word as she looked out the window, admiring the scenery. She even began to ponder at her life. The only person who understood her truly was her grandmother, but she sadly passed away.

Ichigo would remember how her grandmother would make her smile even in the saddest of times.

 _Flashback:_

 _A five-year-old Ichigo ran out of her house, intending on running away from her parents forever. She just felt stressed that her parents were forcing her to pick up a hobby in which she didn't want to do, which was piano._

 _Her mother called her dumb when she couldn't absorb anything in her piano lessons. It had gotten so bad that the piano instructor quit, refusing to teach Ichigo anymore because she couldn't live up to her standards._

" _Ichigo?" A gentle voice called out._

 _The little girl sniffled and kept her face buried in between her knees._

" _Ichigo…"_

 _And with that, a finger tapped her shoulder, requesting her attention. Ichigo looked up to see her grandmother Amano Michiko smiling at her._

" _What happened?" Michiko asked, sitting next to her on the grass._

" _Mom got mad at me," Ichigo mumbled._

" _Oh? Why is that?" Michiko asked._

" _Because I have no musical talent," Ichigo sniffled, "My piano instructor quit because I'm not learning fast enough."_

" _Ichigo… just know that you do have talent. It's up to you to find it," Michiko assured her, and pulled her other hand from behind her back, revealing a strawberry tart. Holding it out in front of Ichigo she beckoned her to eat it._

 _Ichigo always remember that just one bite would always make her smile. Somehow, she would just forget her worries for that one day. That strawberry tart her grandma made her always made her feel warm and protected from the cruel nature of the real world. Almost like… she was in a bubble._

Suddenly the car parked and they got out. Natsume grabbed Ichigo's hand before their parents neglected her again. They walked near the hallway and Natsume's pace slowed down considerably.

Ichigo looked at their parents who were chattering excitedly about Natsume to care about Natsume's sudden change of mood. Squeezing her sister's hand, Ichigo successfully got her sister's attention, asking, "What's wrong?"

"W-What if I mess up?" Natsume asked.

"What do you mean by that?" Ichigo asked, "You will do fine. You play so fine at home anyways."

"Yeah because it's only you I practice in front of, not hundreds of people," Natsume whispered.

Ichigo sighed and grabbed both of Natsume's hands and said, "Just look at me, take a few deep breaths and look at your piano. Imagine I am the only one listening. Without looking at the audience, play. You will be just fine, and you will shine like you always do."

Natsume slowly nodded and smiled. Then they ran to catch up with their parents.

-x-

After the recital, Natsume was bombarded with so much attention from her parents, the audience, and her fellow classmates from the music school she attended. At that moment, Ichigo felt so isolated and it was times like these that she missed her grandmother so much.

So instead of congratulating her sister as well, she decided to leave the hall. But Ichigo didn't dare go back to their car. She didn't want to wait right next to the car because she knew it would be a long time before her parents decide to come out of the hall with Natsume.

Instead, Ichigo found that not too far from the venue was a sweets festival happening. Maybe… she could take a peek. And buy one with her meager amount of money, but she would have to choose her sweet wisely. And if Natsume needs her, she has her cell phone, so done deal!

Walking through the sweets festival, Ichigo looked at sweets from different vendors. She was tempted to try a couple but knew she only had enough for one sweet, because of the meager allowance she gets from her parents (Natsume gets more than she does). However, Ichigo stopped at one stall when she saw a sweet that looked familiar to her. The patissier who was at the stall was working on something so she could only see his back. But his golden blonde hair struck her as something or someone foreign.

Nevertheless, she walked up curiously and pulled out her money pouch and asked, "Excuse me, sir. I would like to buy this sweet."

He turned around and smiled at her, charmingly, and Ichigo was struck by his beautiful cerulean eyes. As she handed him the money, he packed the sweet she asked for in a box and handed her a fork.

"Is there a reason you like this one?" He asked, handing her back her change.

Ichigo pocketed the change and opened the box and pulled out her fork, "It seems… oddly familiar. I remember getting this sweet as a souvenir somewhere else."

Taking a bite, her tongue recognized the sweet to be an identical match and asked, "This couldn't be… Marie Reine?"

But then Ichigo caught his tag and saw that his name is Henri Lucas, a lecturer at St. Marie's. Blushing profusely, she mumbled, "I'm so sorry. I didn't read your nametag earlier."

"I'm the grandson of Marie Lucas, who made this confection," Henri smiled, "I am rather impressed at your ability to tell from just one bite. You have an incredible sense of taste."

Ichigo blushed, not too familiar with complements, since all she got were condescending remarks from her parents and teachers. She's an average girl who passed her classes with average marks. Nothing was worthwhile to praise her for. Until now, possibly.

"Thank you," Ichigo mumbled, making some shape in the dirt with her feet, "I'm not used to praises."

"Well get used to it," Henri said, smiling, "And I will let your esteemed tongue taste my newest confection."

With that, he presented another sweet to Ichigo. She picked up her fork and gently scooped up some of the confection and tasted it. Immediately her eyes widened as a thousand flavors and emotions hit her with just a simple taste.

"Explain it," Henri requested.

Ichigo explained, pointing out every ingredient he used and tying emotions in it, explaining the light yet sensuous feeling as a girl's first love.

"You are correct," Henri nodded, respecting her instantly, "You have an incredible sense of taste that only a handful of patissiers and patissieres have. Tell me, do you practice making sweets?"

"I do at home, although not all the time because I could make too many sweets and get in trouble with my parents, although my sister wouldn't mind," Ichigo admitted sheepishly, "But I used to make them with my grandmother when I was little. She was also a patissiere, like you are, I suppose."

"What was her name?" Henri asked curiously because Ichigo bears a strong resemblance to the girl his grandfather mentored.

"Amano Michiko, why?" Ichigo asked why this man was suddenly interested in her family lineage.

His eyes widened in response before regaining his composure and turned around, looking for something. Whipping around he presented her with a flyer, he handed it to Ichigo, saying, "I recommend that you come to study at St. Marie's branch in Japan. You have such a talent that it would be a shame to see it go to waste."

"That's nice… but how much is tuition?" Ichigo asked, scared.

"I can always work that out with your parents," Henri promised, handing her a business card, "Should they take my offer, I can talk about fees and such. If you truly want to come, money shouldn't hold you back."

Ichigo nodded and pocketed the flyer and said, "No guarantees, but I will ask my parents for sure."

Henri nodded and said, "You know the number to call. You practically have admission to St. Marie's, because I am recruiting you."

Ichigo smiled softly, and said, "It is an honor, sir. But as much as I have to say your offer is tempting I must check with my parents. They do have a right to know. But I will let you know as soon as possible."

With that, Ichigo's phone rang and she answered it. A worried Natsume was wondering where she was and she said that she should run over to their car if she doesn't want to be left behind. Henri heard her talking to her sister and wondered, _what parents would want to leave their child behind?_

Ichigo bowed quickly and left, running in the direction of the concert hall and towards the car where she saw her parents and Natsume walking towards it.

"There you are, Ichigo! I was getting worried!" Natsume yelled, when they reached her.

Ichigo smiled and they got in the car, embarking on another silent drive home.

-x-

During dinner, Ichigo timidly asked, "Mom, I have something to ask you."

"Yes dear?" Mom answered, looking slightly ticked off.

"I got invited to study at St. Marie's," Ichigo said quietly handing her the brochure Henri gave her.

"To make sweets? Honey, that's not a living, it's a hobby," Dad chuckled.

"If she wants to do it then she will," Natsume firmly said.

Their mom nodded and said, "How much will the tuition be?"

Ichigo pulled out Henri's business card and handed it to her mother, saying, "Here's his business card. He wouldn't tell me the fees, saying he will talk to you about it."

"Very well. We will call him soon," Mom nodded.

"No, call him tonight," Natsume insisted.

"But sweetie-" Dad started but was cut off.

Natsume shook her head and said, "No. You know what? I am so sick and tired of you putting my dreams and ambitions above Ichigo's. She deserves to have a voice, she deserves to do what she wants but she never expresses it because she loves me. You call him tonight and for once, keep your promise."

Stunned, the parents nodded and said if the girls would clean the dishes, they would call him.

Their parents went to the office and closed the door so the girls couldn't hear them talking. The fact that they had a phone and were looking at the business card proved to them that they were doing what Natsume insisted them to do.

As they cleaned the dishes, Ichigo said, "Thank you."

"For what?" Natsume asked, curiously.

"For standing up for me," Ichigo admitted, "I thought they would never listen to me."

"Well they wouldn't and that's why I decided to help. You need to live your dream too," Natsume said, making Ichigo nod.

"Yeah… to make people smile," Ichigo grinned as she scrubbed the dishes in soapy water.

 _The next morning…_

"Ichigo… we have come to a decision," mom said.

"And that is…?" Natsume asked.

"We will let Ichigo go to study at St. Marie's branch in Japan," dad said.

"When do I leave?" Ichigo asked.

"In a couple of days," dad answered, "Henri will pick you up, in fact."

"Really?" Ichigo asked.

"He insisted," mom said, "For some reason, he was excited, though I don't know why. I guess we don't have to waste gas trying to drop you off over there."

Natsume's hand curled into a fist, but Ichigo gently squeezed her hand to make it relax.

"I will pack," Ichigo said solemnly.

"I will go help her," Natsume said immediately so she didn't have to talk to their parents.

 **TBC…**


	2. Chapter 2

A 'couple of days later' like her parents said, Henri Lucas was there to pick her up like promised. Ichigo didn't have that many clothes, so her stuff went in one suitcase easily. Then some other important things she had, like pictures, keepsakes, bedding (pillows were to be provided in dorm), snacks, toiletries and essentials that she had lying around she packed.

Placing them in the trunk of the car, she was about to sit in the backseat, when Henri said, "Oh no, you can sit next to me in the front."

Ichigo was slightly nervous but nonetheless complied with what he said. After she sat down and put on the seatbelt, Henri started the car.

The car ride started painfully awkward. Not that she was on bad terms with him, but he's a stranger! She only met him once, heard about him from her grandmother a couple of times and heard that he's a world class patissier. No big deal, just sitting next to a total professional. All good.

"So, I have a question for you," Henri stated, not breaking eye contact with the road.

"Yes, sir?" Ichigo asked.

"What were you and your sister talking about?" Henri asked.

"W-What do you mean?" Ichigo asked.

"She seemed panicked for some reason so I could hear her practically yelling through the phone, so I was curious," Henri said, not telling her the obvious that he knows what she said.

"Um, well, my sister had a piano recital and after the recital, she got swamped with so much attention from everyone, especially my parents. I felt kind of… left out so I just snuck out the hall and wandered around, which is how I found the sweets festival," Ichigo admitted, "She was calling me because if I didn't hurry back to the car, my parents would leave me behind."

Henri's eyes widened and he had an urge to steal a glance at Ichigo but didn't want to crash into a car. But nevertheless, he asked, "Why would they?"

"I'm not their favorite," was all Ichigo replied with.

"And why do they not favor you?" Henri asked.

"Because I don't have any musical nor artistic talent," Ichigo answered, "My mom's a musician and my dad's a painter. But Natsume can do both so they love her more than they love me, if they do at all."

"I'm sure they love you," Henri insisted.

"Did you see their faces? They were so happy to see me leaving," Ichigo sighed, "They don't want to see my face back ever again. I know."

Like she had suspected, rest of the car ride was painfully silent, and she wished right then and there that her parents dropped her off. Because nothing is better than possibly making the wrong impression on a complete stranger who is a celebrity among the world for making sweets. NO BIG DEAL.

"You know, grandma used to talk about you," Ichigo said, looking out the window, a habit she developed when on silent car rides with her family.

"She did?" Henri asked, curiously.

"Mhm," Ichigo nodded, "She talked about your grandfather too. Said he was her mentor. And that the last she heard from him was a picture of you and him. So, she told me he had a grandson."

"Anything else?" Henri asked.

"She said that your grandfather was a very tough teacher," Ichigo laughed, "But she attributed all of her success to him. She's grateful and only had positive things to say about him, his skill and technique."

"I never told you this… but she was his favorite pupil," Henri said, "The smartest one of them all. He compared her to a sponge; she always seemed to soak up what he taught her."

"I see," Ichigo nodded, and understood his statement; her grandmother was so skilled and talented, it wouldn't be a surprise if she was a teacher's favorite.

They didn't talk after that, but at least Ichigo was content to know that the silence wasn't tense or awkward. At least she didn't feel like she made it an uncomfortable one. Soon the car drew up to the entrance of a very grand school.

Ichigo undid her seatbelt and was about to open the car door for herself, like she always does, when it suddenly opened. Henri opened the door for her, like all those princes in storybooks her sister fawned over when they were little.

"Thank you," Ichigo nervously smiled and saw that her luggage was out, "I could've gotten them myself though."

"It's okay, I did it anyways," Henri smiled and grabbed them before Ichigo could.

Natsume would smugly grin at her and say how chivalry is not dead after all, in this society filled with hormone crazed adults. _She isn't as innocent as I thought she was, but then again, neither am I,_ Ichigo thought to herself as they walked past the gates.

People were whispering to themselves when they saw Ichigo standing next to Henri Lucas, the grandfather of the founder of St. Marie's. They thought one thing: Ichigo was some kind of leech.

She looked down at the sidewalk as he led her inside the school. When they went to his office, he had her sit down in the chairs from across his desk and Henri made some phone calls and did paperwork Ichigo had no idea about. Suddenly he swiveled around to see her. He passed a key to her.

"This is your dorm key. On the envelope, it says the room number," Henri explained, "Your roommate will be here shortly to help you to your dorm. She is excited to have a roommate, so I think the two of you will get along well."

"Thank you so much," Ichigo said as she pocketed the key.

"Don't mention it," Henri smiled and said, "Also your uniform will be on your bed when you get there. There will be a summer and winter uniform. You wear the summer uniform in spring and winter during fall semester. Also… your parents said you prefer longer skirts so I ordered the long knee length skirts as opposed to the short ones."

"Thank you," Ichigo nodded and was thankful that her parents remembered at least one detail about her, if any.

A couple of minutes later, someone knocked at the door and in entered a girl also Ichigo's age. She had straight ginger hair that went to her waist, warm ember eyes and a beautiful smile. Ichigo could only guess she was popular. Someone with such a sunny personality and good looks must be well-known and have many friends.

The girl waved at Ichigo and said, "Amano-chan! I'm your roommate, Katou Rumi. I can take a bag, and you take the other."

Ichigo nodded and took the heavier of the bags, already feeling bad that she didn't carry her own on her way here. The two girls waved goodbye to Henri and walked out the door. Henri smiled but then his smile dropped once they shut the door behind them, obviously racing down the hall.

 _Ichigo looks so similar in appearance to Michiko,_ Henri mused, pulling out a photo of his grandfather and Michiko (who was about 14 years old). Possibly Ichigo could find the power within herself to surpass her grandmother rather than following her footsteps and shadow. He also mulled over how his grandfather loved Michiko but Michiko was too dense to return his feelings.

 _Ichigo only told me that her grandmother saw my grandfather as the best teacher she had, never mentioned any other feelings,_ Henri thought bitterly, _what if I make the same mistakes my grandfather made by falling in love with Ichigo?_

He didn't know he already was making a mistake, as this was the tip of the iceberg of falling in love.

-x-

"Home sweet home! I guess… for like 9 months?" Rumi laughed awkwardly to herself, "Not counting the breaks, I guess!"

The dorm was the size of Ichigo's tiny room at home, and Ichigo knew instantly that half was Rumi's space so she would have to accommodate with less space. Rumi sensed her roommate's uncertainty and placed a hand on her shoulder, gaining Ichigo's attention.

"I know it's not much space. But when you adjust, you'll realize that you can really make do with anything, even a tiny cubicle of space! Welcome to student life! Or at least living in a boarding school," Rumi smiled, "C'mon let's unpack your stuff."

The girls had completely unpacked Ichigo's things, and in no time, Ichigo's half of the room was a cozy nook like her room was at home. Rumi gave her a quick tour of the dormitory, showing her the dining hall and the laundromat, as well as the big bins to empty out their trash and recycling bins.

"That concludes my tour. I guess you're tired," Rumi smiled, as the two were sitting on their beds.

"I think so," Ichigo smiled, "I'm just happy to be away from home."

"Most students are homesick, is something wrong?" Rumi asked, frowning.

"I'm not on good terms with my parents. They're bitter because I don't want to be what they want me to be. I guess they hate me more for taking up Henri-sensei's offer," Ichigo said.

"So, rumors went around that he recruited you, is that true?" Rumi asked, eyes shining.

"Yes, it is," Ichigo nodded, "Why, is that a prestige?"

"Of course it is! You have to be some kind of wizard to sway him!" Rumi laughed, "All of us had to apply to be here, and only a handful get accepted. To be recruited by him is a dream only accomplished by you and two others."

"Who else did he recruit?" Ichigo asked, feeling a twinge of jealousy.

"Oh, his first one was Francois Adjani, and his second one was Mari Tennouji," Rumi sighed, "They're insanely talented and I think since he informed of your recruitment, they possibly view you as a rival."

"Oh god how can they know? I just got here!" Ichigo exclaimed.

"Yeah but he recruited you before you came here, right?" Rumi asked.

"A couple of days…" Ichigo's face paled.

"Enough time for word to spread around. But don't worry, you're now my friend and I won't let anyone bring you down," Rumi said, "How about I take you on a tour of the campus?"

"Okay, that seems like a good idea," Ichigo nodded.

Rumi had shown Ichigo the buildings of the Japan branch of St. Marie's Academy. When they were in the last one and walking down a hall, the two girls heard shouting. Upon inspection Ichigo could identify that these two voices were male and around their age as well.

"DOES IT HURT FOR YOU TO WASH UP AFTER YOURSELF?!" Someone yelled.

"Geez you can't handle a couple of petals? What a ninny," another voice hissed.

"Guys let's not get into another argument! S-Shake hands!" A third voice panicked.

"Ahh… that would be the sweet princes," Rumi whispered with an all-knowing smile.

"Princes?" Ichigo asked, almost laughing at the nickname.

"Yep. The blonde is Kashino Makoto, the coldest in the group. Hanabusa Satsuki is the second one, and he's a flirt, almost a narcissist. The third one is Andou Sennosuke, and he's basically the middle man of the three, always has to break up the fights within the group," Rumi explained, "However their group is not complete without one more member. And it is every girl's dream to be in their group."

"Do you wish to be a part of it?" Ichigo asked.

"Hmm? No," Rumi shrugged, "I seem like I am the only girl, possibly besides you, who doesn't pine over them because I have a boyfriend."

"Oh. Does he go here?" Ichigo asked.

"No, sadly not. We have a long-distance relationship. People call it stupid because they think it won't work out," Rumi said sadly.

"Well do you love him?" Ichigo asked after a pause.

"Yes," Rumi answered, puzzled.

"And does he feel the same way?" Ichigo asked.

"Why of course!" Rumi said, shocked.

"Then you shouldn't worry, really. As long as you're both in love and loyal, then the relationship can stand any hurdle or distance," Ichigo smiled, "I think you both are meant for each other."

Rumi looked shocked as she expected Ichigo to just judge her like other girls here, but then smiled, knowing she's different and said, "Thanks, Ichigo."

"So… when's school going to start?" Ichigo asked.

"In a week. Maybe we can go shopping for school supplies and maybe do something about your look," Rumi stroked her chin in deep thought, taking into account Ichigo's ridiculous pigtails with that irritating curl at the end.

"W-What's wrong with my hair?" Ichigo asked, self-conscious all of a sudden; she reached a hair to play with the end of one pig tail.

"Why do you have your hair up like that?" Rumi asked, pointing to Ichigo's hairstyle.

"I did it so that Natsume could look better than me," Ichigo admitted.

"So… some sort of rivalry between siblings?" Rumi asked.

"No, I was never at her level anyways," Ichigo said sadly, "She was the favorite and I was the… well… did I even exist in their eye? Not really, unless Natsume reminded them that I was there in the room."

"Oh," Rumi said, sadly; truth be told she felt kind of bad for Ichigo. Sometimes she felt like her parents were a little bit overbearing but at least they loved her and never neglected her like Ichigo's parents did.

"Well… maybe for the holidays, you can spend it with me!" Rumi said cheerfully, after some thinking, "That is… if your parents are okay with it."

"I might have to tell Natsume, because I do care about her a lot, but other than that, I will take your offer!" Ichigo smiled, happy that she won't have to spend the holidays all by herself in the dorm.

-x-

Over the span of the week remaining before classes, Rumi had convinced Ichigo to let her hair down and suddenly feel free. Ichigo felt convinced that now she was here, she didn't have to run the risk of being a disappointment to her family anymore. She can be herself for once.

It was first day of classes and right before she left, she looked at the picture of her and Natsume. She remembered her promise to Natsume to fulfil her dreams. She can't let her sister and grandmother down.

 _No, not anymore,_ her mind thought sarcastically.

Slinging her bookbag around her shoulder, Ichigo quietly walked out of the dorm herself, as Rumi had to leave earlier. Apparently, Rumi has a large friend circle and she was meeting up with her other friends for a breakfast together. And lonely Ichigo slept through breakfast. Luckily she managed to pack herself a muffin to eat between classes.

As she walked to classes, Ichigo heard a shrill voice… someone Rumi didn't tell her about.

"There you are… MA-KO-TO KUNNNNNNNNN~!" A girl's voice cackled.

Ichigo cringed but she saw a red-headed girl run up to Kashino, offering him a chocolate sculpture. It was creepy, it had her face carved into it. But Ichigo could see clearly that this girl genuinely loved this boy, and the thought made her smile warmly… until he smashed her offering into the ground, completely ruining it.

This redheaded girl stood in shock and crumpled to the ground, crying, "I worked all night to make it for you, my dear!"

"Well maybe this can teach you to quit trying," Kashino yelled rudely and stomped off, the other two sweets princes hurrying after him, not really saying anything.

Others were whispering, some were pointing to her and laughing, calling her all stupid names and jokes, making the girl bow her head in embarrassment. Ichigo checked her watch and saw she has twenty minutes until class starts, and she's standing right outside her first period, so she could help this girl.

"My that was pretty harsh on his part," Ichigo said gently, kneeling besides the girl and gesturing to the sculpture.

"H-Huh?" The girl asked, shocked to see that this girl wasn't making fun of her.

"I saw the whole thing. Sure, you came on strong, but I could see past that, I could see a girl genuinely in love," Ichigo smiled.

"Yeah… and I bet you think it's stupid," the girl muttered, embarrassed.

"Why would I?" Ichigo asked.

"I was so stupid to think he might like me, or maybe accept what I made for him," the girl sniffled.

"No, I disagree. There's nothing wrong with being in love. He's quite harsh and cold, causing most girls to shrink away from him and choose another guy who has good looks as well as a charming personality, like Hanabusa-kun. But you didn't waver, and you keep approaching him. That's admirable," Ichigo praised, "I wish I can love someone as much as you love him, really. Be proud of it."

The girl's eyes widened as she said, "T-Thank you. When you look at it that way, it makes me feel better."

"Of course, because it's the right way to look at things, with positivity. You know, I think maybe there is a way for him to reciprocate your feelings but maybe you might want to try a slightly different approach," Ichigo suggested.

The girl nodded and said, "That's true. I would love to talk to you but classes are starting. But let's eat lunch together. My name is Koshiro Miya."

Ichigo smiled and said, "Amano Ichigo. The new girl."

"Oh, I heard you're the recruit Henri-sensei recommended," Miya smiled.

"Yeah, but I'm worried I will mess up," Ichigo laughed uncomfortably.

Miya laughed and said, "Hey, even if you do, don't worry. What the students won't tell you is that everyone had messed up several times before we got the hang of making sweets with precision. It will come to you. If others laugh at you, I won't be joining them."

Ichigo smiled and said, "Thanks. Hey, let's clean up this mess, though. I don't want you to be late as well."

As the two girls cleaned up the mess and exchanged phone numbers, promising to meet each other during lunch, Kashino watched Ichigo from the classroom's window, muttering "So she's sensei's third recruit… hmph."

 **TBC…**


	3. Chapter 3

Classes went fairly okay for Amano Ichigo. They weren't too hard, nor were they a piece of cake. Ichigo was an okay student, she suspected as much. While she wouldn't fail like Kashino suspected, she also wouldn't be a perfect student like him. And that was enough for Ichigo, in all reality.

"Don't worry Ichigo, I can help you in French," Rumi promised her, "But seeing as you have a foundation in that language, as you took it in middle school, it shouldn't be that hard."

"Yes, and I am quite happy I took it over Spanish," Ichigo said, as the two walked to the cafeteria, "Or English. That language is… something, really."

"Eh…" Rumi's face contorted with displeasure at the mention of that language, "That one is hard. I just want to focus on food."

"I hope you don't mind that I invited Koshiro-senpai," Ichigo said cautiously.

Rumi's smile dropped as she looked at her roommate in utter horror, "Ichigo, have you lost your mind?! The Heiress is so full of herself! Why would you want to spend your lunch with her?"

"Rumi, she's just someone desperately in love. I saw her get cruelly rejected this morning," Ichigo huffed, "He shot her down so fast and people were making fun of her. I know you might not get along with her but when you understand her, she can become a good friend. She was so nice to me after I helped her, Rumi. Give her a chance."

The ginger haired girl couldn't say no to that; and besides, she never thought of the situation like that. All she knew was every school day felt like it was jell-o because of that girl's evil cackle, her cronies and basically her existence. Maybe she never delved into Miya's intentions. When Ichigo put it that way, she felt a tad bit guilty for never trying.

"Gosh… how many times are you going to make me feel guilty?" Rumi asked.

"Only enough times I feel like it," Ichigo said playfully.

"Fine, send her over," Rumi groaned in defeat.

"Yes! Thank you!" Ichigo cheered; the moment Miya entered the cafeteria, Ichigo waved her hand for her to join the two get lunches together.

Miya smiled when she spotted Ichigo and hurried over to the brunette. The three joined the line and got their lunches together.

"Hey, I'm sorry if I ever came across as arrogant before," Miya apologized to Rumi once they all sat down.

Rumi almost dropped her fork in surprise, but nonetheless nodded. Albeit she was shocked; she wasn't expecting Miya to have an attitude change over the course of a day.

"Y-Yeah, no problem," Rumi stuttered before shoving food in her mouth. Miya shot her a weird look before shrugging and diving into her own food.

"I think it will take time," Ichigo answered for Rumi's strange behavior.

"That is true," Miya sighed.

It was silent between the three of them and the brunette felt oddly suffocated. She had hoped the three of them could chatter about random things like how friends do. But it seems like Miya had built quite the reputation around school that won't be forgiven that easily.

The cafeteria became eerily quiet as a high school student strut into the cafeteria. Her hair was long and golden and her honey colored eyes scanned the room, as if looking for something… or someone.

Once her eyes settled on Ichigo, her steely gaze melted away into a glare, as if threatening the young brunette or challenging her to a duel of some sort. Then she walked to the lunch line to get her food.

"Well, she knows now," Rumi said, confused.

"Oh sure, how about the third one?" Ichigo asked, exasperated.

"I am pretty sure she knows you too," Miya said thoughtfully, "But don't be surprised if she hates you. She hates everyone. Almost like getting a participation trophy at a science fair."

"Now when you put it like that, makes me feel a little bit better," Ichigo sighed, "But still… Mari-senpai hates me and I never talked to her."

"It's not your fault," Rumi said, "Even though a lot of people do look up to her, lots of people dislike her for her haughtiness, arrogance, and pride. Also, they find it irritating how she needs to go to Henri-sensei for feedback on every little thing."

"So that doesn't sound like the 'independent' reputation she has around school," Ichigo argued.

"Probably not," Miya shrugged, "But who cares if she's a hypocrite? Sensei goes along with it because he recruited her as well."

"But I want to be known so much more than just another pupil who was recruited by him," Ichigo whispered, "I want to be known for who I am."

"I know you do," Miya said, placing a hand on top of Ichigo's, "And I will always have your back."

"Thanks," Ichigo smiled. A silence filled their table as the three girls hurriedly finished their lunches. The bell rang to signify that lunch was over.

"Good luck, Ichigo," Miya waved.

Ichigo waved back and hurried off with Rumi to their next class.

-x-

It was the last class of the day. Ichigo had been presented to the class as the 'new student' and Ameya-sensei made sure she introduced herself properly, although she knew two things made this introduction practically worthless:

 _Number one: no one just 'transfers in' without so much thought of an entrance exam. Number two: only students who switch over so abruptly are those elite pupils backed up by Henri-sensei._

They were murmuring around her, wondering what a plain girl like her could do so wonderfully that she could impress Henri Lucas and convince him to give her an admission to St. Marie's Academy.

"You will be in Group A," Ameya-sensei said, and when the girls screamed in outrage, she glared and yelled, "QUIET!"

The whole class flinched and Ichigo shuffled next to the three sweets princes that the teacher was pointing to. Two of them were nice, they were smiling at her kindly. But the third one had a glare that made you wish you were rather dead.

"You better not bring down my reputation, you pathetic amateur," Kashino snarled in her face.

But Ichigo wasn't Miya; she wouldn't cry in front of him because he insulted her. Her eyes narrowed in defiance and she whispered, "Your reputation? We'll see."

They were making something simple, called "Mille crepes."

Kashino snickered at the title; he was a total pro at making any kind of sweet. He was prepared for any kind of failure she would bring as she had nothing that seemed special about her. When he pried information from the teachers, they said she was an average girl in terms of academics. While her grades weren't bad in her previous schools, they weren't stellar.

 _So, if she's not a stellar person in academics, then her skills can't be any different,_ Kashino sneered mentally, _Why am I stuck with a runt like her?_

While the blonde was brooding in his thoughts, Ichigo decided to make two mille crepes. One would be for show: badly burnt, atrocious to the eye and tongue. Once he finishes making a fool of himself in front of the class by 'humiliating' her, she would pop out the second one which is that of high caliber. It would make him eat his words.

While Kashino was brooding, his sharp nose caught the wisp of something burning. 'True' to his thoughts, he found that Ichigo was doing 'horrible' at making a mille crepe.

Ameya sensei had to yank the fire extinguisher from the cabinet and spray it all over Ichigo's meager creation, smothering the inedible creation in a layer of toxic foam. Luckily, Ichigo hid her other one from sight and contact with the foam.

"AMANO WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!" Kashino yelled.

"I created a mille crepe," Ichigo shrugged.

"A mille crepe? That's not even edible!" Kashino yelled.

"Kashino-san! Be quiet! Amano-san is a beginner and let's be honest, many students have tried and failed before they have succeeded," Ameya-sensei yelled.

"I didn't have that hard of a time," Kashino grumbled, "Besides, it isn't difficult to follow instructions."

"Oh really?" Hanabusa snapped, "Then maybe you can follow dorm rules and not yell like a maniac at 2 in the morning and wake up everyone on our floor."

"That's because someone loves to just infuriate me and leave rose petals in the bath after they're done!" Kashino bit back.

"Okay don't bring personal life into this," Ameya-sensei snapped, irritated, "Try to be professional."

"Thank you for defending me, sensei," Ichigo said quietly, "But I made this mille crepe horribly on purpose."

"On purpose?" Ameya-sensei asked; the whole room gasped.

"Yes. As you can see, Kashino-kun was being rude and berating my skills without knowing me personally," Ichigo said, pointing at Kashino.

"You're an average student!" Kashino yelled in defense.

"Just because my grades aren't as pristine as yours doesn't mean my skills are below par, you arrogant moron!" Ichigo shouted, but then composed herself before she lost her temper. Taking a deep breath, she went on, "He was critiquing me without seeing my skills. Therefore, I decided to test him and make two mille crepes. The one you saw now was the one I made for show; it was to mock him and temporarily bolster his ego."

"And the second one?" Andou asked kindly.

"Right here," Ichigo wiped the foam off on her table with one hand and placed the plate on the clean table with the other one, "Take a bite, sensei."

Ameya sensei nodded and took out a fork and carefully tore off a bite of the mille crepe. She popped it in her mouth and after chewing carefully for ten seconds, she smiled bright.

"You certainly have talent. He knew what he was doing when he recruited you," Ameya-sensei smiled.

"He only knew my skills based on taste alone," Ichigo shook her head, "But I am also glad you like the taste of my pastries."

"Well, then his guess was a lucky one," Ameya-sensei said, writing down a couple of things on the board, "I will give you an A+ for your creation today, despite the fact you deliberately burnt one of your pastries."

"It was to prove a point. I didn't mean to cause you a scare, though," Ichigo apologized and bowed politely.

"Yes, well the students are my liability, so if you wish to make a point, maybe out of class time would be best next time," Ameya-sensei sighed deeply.

"Yes sensei, I will keep your words into consideration," Ichigo nodded in respect.

"Glad that you understand," Ameya-sensei nodded and said, "You will be in Group A if you wish."

"I will always trust your decision," Ichigo nodded, "Even though he may be difficult to work with."

Hanabusa stifled an amused laugh; something tells him he will like this girl for sure.

A smug smirk replaced Ichigo's innocent smile once the teacher turned around. Glancing over to the blonde boy next to her, she whispered, "Maybe next time you'll learn not to judge a book by its cover."

With that the bell rang and Ichigo had bolted out the door, not giving him enough time to answer back to her ambiguous statement.

-x-

"And that's what happened during my last period," Ichigo concluded.

Miya and Rumi were laughing so hard they were rolling around on the grass. Personally, Ichigo thought that Miya was taking this news a lot better than she expected her to. She at least thought Miya would be a little jealous. But Miya was fine with Ichigo being in Group A, as long as she didn't get close with Kashino.

 _Which will never happen in a thousand years,_ Ichigo thought in disgust to herself.

"Wow you showed him!" Rumi exclaimed teasingly.

"Haha… yeah I guess," Ichigo shrugged.

"You know, maybe we should make something together," Miya suggested.

"Sure! Maybe we can come up with ideas that we can make, you know to give to him!" Ichigo cheerfully said, forcing her to cheerfully say his name.

"Yeah that's a great idea! Do you know when we can meet up to do that?" Miya asked eagerly.

"Hmm… let's do it this weekend," Ichigo said after some thought.

Miya tilted her head to the side in confusion, asking, "Why do you say that?"

"Well, after my little stunt, Hanabusa-kun pulled me in the hallway. He said if I ever wanted to prank him by making some sweets that looked nice to the eye but repulsive in taste, I could come to the kitchen at times he won't be practicing tempering chocolate. I don't have any wish to get on his bad side because now he is my teammate. But we can use the information to our advantage as to when we can have the kitchen to ourselves. I know you love him, but we can't have him knowing you're making him a surprise? Kind of defeats the purpose," Ichigo explained.

"That's brilliant! Let's see it," Miya agreed.

The two girls looked at the schedule and agreed at Saturday night they would meet up and make a creation together.

"Saturday at 9 PM?" Ichigo asked.

"You have a deal," Miya nodded.

The two girls shook their hands and walked together with Rumi to their dorm.

 **TBC…**

 **Okay, so I promised to reveal the character pairings I plan to do for the story so here they are (Not sure if I will have enough creativity to get to all of them…):**

 **Henri/Ichigo (obviously)**

 **Makoto/Miya**

 **Satsuki/Lemon**

 **Andou/Kana**

 **Johnny/Natsume**

 **Rumi/(her bf in canon?)**

 **Mari/Rick**


	4. Chapter 4

Ichigo had gotten a Sweets Spirit that very same day after her stunt in the kitchen making Mille Crepes. Her name was Vanilla and the little blonde fairy was waiting for her at the door of her dorm. Ichigo had taken an instant liking to this cute little spirit. She learned a fair amount from Rumi's Sweet Spirit, Sugar, about Vanilla.

Like, how Vanilla has short, pudgy legs, causing Kashino's sweet Chocolat to pick on her. Ichigo honestly didn't find anything annoying about that physical description and felt that Chocolat was just like her partner: they were both bullies who took some sort of pleasure in bringing others down.

Another interesting thing about Vanilla is how she becomes all rough and angry if you don't listen to her directions and screw up. Chocolat had chimed in and said she nicknamed her as "Spartan educator" because of her nature. This caused Vanilla and Chocolat to get into some sort of fight in which they swung around their spoon and fork like weapons. Ichigo had to yank her spirit away and felt Chocolat sink her fork in her hand, an aim meant for Vanilla. The little blonde spirit promised from that day on to avoid Chocolat if they ever got confrontational…for Ichigo's sake.

But in the mere measly couple of days, it isn't possible to get to know someone completely. And Ichigo forgot one BIG characteristic about Vanilla. Well…she just never found out about it.

Vanilla…can't hold in her secrets. She's a gossiper. Now she won't talk trash about Ichigo (although she won't hold back on trash talking others). She would just take a secret and use it as an opportunity to start a conversation when there is none or when she wants to change the course of a discussion when it is too tense. And unfortunately, Marron who is Miya's sweets spirit, had this same drawback as well despite her cold persona.

So Ichigo had confided in Vanilla about the plan she made with Miya, making her promise to not tell the students. She didn't want anybody knowing about their plan. But there was a loophole… she never said not to tell other spirits.

And so, Vanilla told Marron and the two were excited to gossip to the other spirits about what their partners were up to.

After saying goodbye to their partners, Vanilla and Marron flew over to Café, Chocolat and Caramel. As usual, Café was having some sort of existential crisis about his beauty, so they reveled in Chocolat's irritation and attempts to lower Café's ego.

When Marron let loose a small chuckle, Café snapped out of his dramatic fantasy and regarded the two female sweets spirits, offering them roses. Vanilla took hers happily, and played around with the petals. Marron scrunched up her nose and declined quietly.

"You just had to blow our cover," Vanilla shook her head, "It was so entertaining to watch."

An irritation mark formed on Chocolat's head and she swiveled around to the two spirits and asked rudely, "Oh yeah? Nice to know my pain was your entertainment!"

Vanilla rolled her eyes, only holding back because she remembered the last time she fought with Chocolat, Ichigo ended up getting hurt.

"Where are your partners, desu?" Caramel asked worriedly, "Shouldn't they be in bed?"

"Nice to know that you asked…" Marron grinned, "They're in the kitchen."

Café tilted his head in curiosity and asked, "What do you mean in the kitchen?"

"They're going to make a sweet for Kashino-kun," Vanilla beamed.

"But please, please, _please,_ I beg of you three not to tell the Sweets Princes, or any student for that manner," Marron sighed in irritation, "The last thing I want is some possessed fangirl intercepting their plan."

The three spirits of the sweets princes nodded in a solemn agreement. What the five spirits were NOT aware of was a man with blonde hair and cerulean eyes who was seething in jealousy at the idea of Ichigo making sweets for a boy her age. Blinded by his anger, he never thought to ask the sweets spirits if Ichigo had any feelings for Kashino-kun.

He blindly went down the numerous hallways to where the kitchen was. He looked at his watch and it read 9:45 PM. About time for them to wrap up from making sweets.

The girls had neatly packaged the sweet into a pale pink box with dark pink ribbons. A few fancy hearts decorated the edges of the box but overall it was simple. Ichigo insisted that in order to ensnare the affections of a cold person, going too fancy will end up in a total failure.

But all Henri-sensei could see is that Ichigo felt something strong about Kashino, even after mere four days of school. And it angered him for some reason.

"Well I think that is it," Ichigo smiled as she had dried the last utensil and placed them up; Miya had placed the unused ingredients away. "I hope he likes it."

 _Of course, he will, because you made it with LOVE,_ Henri bitterly thought.

"Thanks! I hope he does," Miya smiled then blushed, "I think he will love it because you helped me."

Henri was gripping his pen so tight he snapped it in half. Looking at what he done, he chucked it in the trash can. Enough was enough, he decided to make his presence known.

"Amano-san, Koshiro-san, what are you two doing here so late?" Henri asked, eyes trained only on Ichigo.

Miya looked between the two of them and when she saw a tumultuous storm in his normally calm aqua eyes, she knew he was green with envy. But with what?

"I was helping Koshiro-san with making sweets," Ichigo lied smoothly, "She said she had this wonderful recipe she wanted to try out and I never heard of it before. Curiosity killed the cat, and I decided to tag along."

"Curiosity did kill the cat," Henri darkly mused over Ichigo's innocent use of the phrase, "And experimenting with emotions you don't know can do far worse damage."

Miya took her box and stood there awkwardly, refusing to leave until he acknowledged her to do so. When he nodded, Miya breathed in relief and grabbed Ichigo's hand, presuming that they would walk to the dorm together.

"Amano-san, _stay._ I need to have a _word_ with you," Henri said in a low, even tone.

Ichigo's heartrate sped up as Miya reluctantly let go of her hand and slipped out of the practice room. When she saw the door close and see the footsteps pad down the hallway, she dared to turn around.

"Sensei, what's wrong?" Ichigo asked carefully.

"What's the real reason you decided to come here?" Henri asked.

"To help Koshiro-senpai make something for Kashino-kun," Ichigo said awkwardly, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Why would you lie?" Henri asked, stepping near her.

"Because I didn't see you come here," Ichigo sighed, "And sensei, Kashino-kun also practices late, but he never gets called out. Why me?"

"Do…do you love him?" Henri asked cautiously.

"Wait _what_?!" Ichigo whirled her head around to look him square in the eyes, her eyes dancing in bewilderment.

Henri didn't say anything and Ichigo knew he was serious. Laughing a bit to herself, Ichigo untied her apron and hung it on a hook quietly.

"What?"

"You're jealous," Ichigo whispered quietly, "And quite frankly I do not know why. But for your happiness, no I do not love him. I couldn't fall in love in four measly days, and his rotten attitude and arrogant personality repulses me. A wonder what Miya sees in him, really. Hopefully she can change him."

Ichigo's eyes widened in shock when she heard her _teacher of all people_ breathe a sigh of relief.

"Why are you relieved that I don't love him at all? What kind of gain or satisfaction does it give you that I have a poor luck with guys?" Ichigo asked quickly.

"I thought you loved him, that's why you tried so hard," Henri dodged her question.

"I poured my emotions in the sweet because Miya loves him, and I would do anything for her to be happy," Ichigo said.

"But you can't pour emotions that you don't have towards a person, in a sweet for them," Henri countered; he was well aware it was possible, but he just wanted to curb his jealousy that was eating away at him.

"Oh yeah? How about that sweet you made that I tried at the fair back near my sister's piano recital? You recreated a _girl's first love_ , and according to your theory, you must be engaged or married," Ichigo said as a matter-of-fact.

"I have never had a girlfriend, fiancé, nor wife," Henri said coldly.

"Then how did you recreate such a tender emotion?" Ichigo snipped back; this was dangerous, getting all sarcastic with her teacher. But she can't help it when he's a jealous wreck, out of character for some godforsaken reason she has no idea about.

For the second time that night, he was silent. And Ichigo knew she won, but she had to announce her checkmate.

"You draw them from a reservoir of emotions you have accumulated over the course of your life. Me, well I never had a boyfriend and I am single, for your contentment. But I remember guys chasing my little sister and wistfully thinking how happy it must feel to be wanted by someone else, and to be in love," Ichigo said, "To pine over somebody and crave their love. And I used it for this dish I made."

"I have to go, sensei, and I hope all misunderstandings are cleared up now," Ichigo picked up her dorm keys and left without being dismissed.

But Ichigo was extremely wrong. If anything, her words have not done a thing to placate him, but to strengthen his love for her and the ever-growing possessiveness and jealousy Henri felt around her.

Instead of throwing water into the fire, Ichigo had enraged it by pouring in kerosene.

-x-

"So, did he like it?" Ichigo asked Miya on Monday.

"Yes! He took it and tasted it. He said it was 'decent'!" Miya exclaimed happily.

"It couldn't hurt for him to praise you, sheesh!" Ichigo sighed in irritation.

"I know but knowing him, it is the closest to a compliment I will ever get," Miya said.

The brunette placed a hand on Miya's shoulder and said, "Never think like that. I think you just need to keep trying. The fact that he didn't chuck your sweet in the trash can means you made some improvement, right?"

"Yes, he did actually eat the whole thing," Miya said, but frowned, "But maybe it is because you helped me."

"Why was he able to taste that?" Ichigo snorted.

"No, but you're talented," Miya sighed.

Ichigo shook her head and said, "I was merely helping you. You chose out the recipe, the ingredients, etc. You did everything. I helped you put it all together. This was all you, senpai."

"I guess you're right," Miya smiled, "Also helped that I didn't come on too strong. Remember last time?"

Ichigo nodded, recalling the moe mode Miya was in when she presented her last sweet. It could've thrown anybody off. Kashino had the worst reaction though.

"Yeah but that doesn't warrant him to throw your offering on the floor," Ichigo sighed in frustration, "I bet it tasted nice."

"Well that's the past, not like we can change it," Miya said, and knocked on Ichigo's dorm door, letting Rumi answer it for them.

"Hey you two, I will be going out for a bit," Rumi said, grabbing her purse.

"Why?" Miya asked.

"I need to get some ingredients to make a particular dish I want to make, for my boyfriend," Rumi explained.

"Have fun," Ichigo smiled.

When the door closed, Miya decided to get straight to the point by asking about what happened the previous day. Something about the look in Henri's eyes didn't sit well for her. It wasn't the normal concern a teacher platonically had for his or her students.

"I don't know, it kind of freaked me out too," Ichigo sighed, "He's our teacher, I don't know if he should be acting like that."

"I have a theory but it might be stupid," Miya said after a while of thinking, "But he might be jealous."

"How could he be jealous? His skills are superior to mine," Ichigo asked.

"I don't think he was thinking about that. He might….have romantic feelings for you," Miya said slowly.

"But how? We only met shortly before school began," Ichigo said, "And he's our teacher!"

"I have read enough manga to figure out that love like this, though not allowed, is possible," Miya snorted, "But seriously, you will want to look into that. Maybe I could help with that."

"But I don't know where to look," Ichigo said, "And if I am caught snooping around in his stuff, who knows what kind of punishment I will get."

"Maybe…we can coax out the information out of him, but not right away. Maybe give it some time. I could ask him or something but we will need to make sure we're very careful how we word our sentences," Miya said, "I might as well help you out since you are helping me out with gaining Kashino-kun's attention and hopefully love."

The two girls nodded and planned on how they would crack down the walls of Henri Lucas, a teacher who was considered an enigma to the students.

 **TBC…**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Hey guys sorry for the gap in updates! I lost inspiration for this story but you guys obviously love this new Henri/Ichigo ship that I was rejuvenated with ideas! Please take into account a couple of things, however:**

 **1) I am in my sophomore year of university. That means more homework, studying and tests. So if I can't update very often, you do know why. I know you all want an update, and I do get the notification when each one of you review in my email. They all (more or less) say one word in it, which is "update". And I do want to, but I have a life on the side which I also have to balance. So while you think I may be ignoring you by 'not updating' I am gathering ideas and slowly typing the next chapter.**

 **2) I need time to come up with ideas for this plot. I am going one step at a time with this chapter. Each time I post, I wonder, "What new conflict can I put in the next chapter?" Because each update should be meaningful and dramatic. So wanting to put both quality and quantity, I take time to update.**

Miya had been the first one to act on the plan. She knew where Henri's office was located as well as when he tended to go to his office to do 'paperwork' as he always said as an excuse to get away from Mari and her over-dependent nature. Everyone, even her own so-called loyal friends and sweets spirit, knew she was too dependent for her own good.

Everything started with, "I wonder what Henri-sensei…"

Mari just wasn't functioning on her own. Granted, she did get to come to St. Marie's Academy the same way Ichigo did: they were Henri's recruits. But unlike Ichigo, she took the recognition all to her head. She thought she was superior to the ordinary students who had to work hard to get admission, thinking she was this super-talented special person. And also, she misinterpreted Henri's recruitment of her that he has feelings for her.

"She's so delusional," Miya snorted.

"And people called your devotion for Kashino-kun as 'delusion'," Marron scoffed, folding her arms, "This girl thinks she will be his future wife."

"As if," Miya shook her head, "Our teacher would have to be as dumb as a brick to see anything redeeming about her. Mari may be talented but she can't function without his approval. I wonder, doesn't even he get sick of it?"

"Why do we get the brunt of all the teasing?" Marron sighed sadly but then perked up when she witnessed that Henri left his office without locking the door, "Miya, look!"

Miya saw what her sweets spirit was pointing at and lunged for the door, not wanting to miss any opportunity. She knew she didn't have much time, so she just tried to look for anything in particular that might stand out. She also knew he could be back soon so she couldn't go pawing around in his drawers.

"Miya, look at this picture! It looks like Ichigo-chan!" Marron pointed to a picture on his desk, "And that kind of looks like Henri sensei."

Miya inspected the photo that was framed and frowned. So many things were off in this photo. First of all, Ichigo doesn't wear her hair like that. And second of all, she hasn't been here long enough to get some kind of photo with Henri. She had been wary of him enough that she wouldn't allow a picture with him.

"I don't think that's her," Miya sighed but took a picture of the framed photo, "But maybe it's a relative of Ichigo's."

"We should go before we get caught," Marron advised and Miya nodded. The two dashed out of his office before they could get caught. Sometimes they were happy the office didn't have any security cameras, or else they would be in such deep trouble for trespassing his property.

After classes that day, the two girls decided to go to the library to do their homework. After Ichigo and Miya packed away their completed homework, they decided to chit chat casually as a reward for completing their homework with plenty of time to spare.

"Hey Ichigo?" Miya asked, "I snuck into his office."

"Really?" Ichigo asked in surprise, "And you didn't get caught?"

"I didn't, luckily," Miya shook her head, "But I found something that might interest you."

"What would that be?" Ichigo asked in confusion.

Miya took one long look at her before whipping out her cell phone and thumbing through it and pulled up the picture she took earlier that day. She slid her phone over to Ichigo and asked, "Does this look familiar?"

"That's my grandmother," Ichigo said, studying the little girl in the photo, "And I think this is his grandfather, the founder of this Academy."

"Wow, so your grandmother was his favorite student?" Miya asked in wonder.

Ichigo shrugged and said, "I think so. I really don't know. I know that my grandmother thought of him as a good teacher. Whether he felt like she was his favorite student or not is up to him."

"I find it creepy that it's in Henri's office, though," Miya said, taking the phone back from Ichigo.

"Miya, that's his grandfather," Ichigo sighed.

"But seriously? He put it on his desk so he can stare at it while he does paperwork or whatever desk work he does in his office!" Miya exclaimed, "I'm telling you, it's fishy!"

"Well I did find it fishy when he sighed a breath of relief when I told him I was single," Ichigo shrugged, "But I always get that feeling like there might be some kind of note written on the other side or something."

"Why would you think that?" Miya looked at her weird.

"You get your ideas from manga, I get mine from movies," Ichigo explained, "It's a mechanism or a way of hiding information."

"Yeah but I don't know if he would be bold enough to hide his love confession for you behind a picture," Miya snorted.

Ichigo rubbed her forehead and sighed, "You're the one who thinks he's acting all fishy."

"Well yeah, I know, but I don't know. If what you're saying is true, then it might be information regarding the photo," Miya shrugged, "Oh well, too late to go back now."

"Yes, I know. I don't want you to risk it going in there another time," Ichigo nodded, "I don't want you to get caught by him. But either way, this picture can't prove much, really. I'm not surprised that he would keep a picture of his grandfather on his desk."

Miya gave out a defeated sigh and said, "That may be true, but there must be something that can give us a clue as to what he's hiding from us. Maybe it's a part of a bigger picture."

Ichigo snorted but said, "Yeah, what are you going to do about it? Interrogate him?"

From the cornfmer of her vision, Miya spotted Mari rush over to Henri the two walked over to some hallway. Clearly Mari looked conflicted. If Ichigo didn't know any better she would say she was annoyed. But Mari was jealous. And for once, she wasn't the newest edition of Henri-sensei's recruits. So of course, she would feel a little left out.

"Let's follow them," Miya pointed after Mari and Henri, and grabbed the girl along with her before she could protest.

"How are we going to hide? Did you think about that?" Ichigo whispered angrily as they silently ran down the same hallway the two walked a minute earlier.

"Because there are the stairs, and a little nook underneath it," Miya pointed; and she had a point that if you hid well enough then from any angle you couldn't be seen.

The two girls hid underneath the stairs and sure enough, on the other side Mari and Henri were seated on the steps, clearly in some kind of discussion, or rather _argument._

"Sensei, am I not good enough?" Mari asked; her voice sounded stiff and tense, almost wavering. Ichigo knew that one word could set her off into tears.

"What are you talking about, Mari?" Henri asked in a calm but annoyed tone.

"What does she have that I don't?" Mari elaborated on her question, "I have won numerous competitions, made many public appearances on TV, magazines and newspaper for my fame, the fame I worked on just for you! And still…after all these years of working so hard, you wouldn't spare me more than a couple of seconds of a glance in a formal setting. This girl comes along and not even more than a week in she has your attention! So, tell me, what am I doing wrong?"

"You are crossing the boundary," Henri said, annoyed. He wasn't about to start with this drama all over again. Sure, he may have feelings for Ichigo, but Mari had been possessive enough should he even glance at another female that isn't her.

Mari didn't listen and continued to rant, "Why is she so special? She's just a nobody who was lucky enough to impress you and that's why she got in!"

Now he had enough of her constant and incessant whining. Slamming his foot down on one of the steps, he reveled in how Mari flinched at his sudden aggressive behavior. Even behind the stairs, Ichigo and Miya flinched considerably, but were quiet enough to make sure that neither Mari nor Henri heard them.

"You don't know her," Henri said coldly, "You think you're so great you're on the top of the world and other students are just amateurs compared to you. If you want to stand the chance of being at least a decent pastry chef, then you should drop that arrogant attitude. It will get you nowhere. Besides there are countless patissiers and patissieres who are infinitely more talented than you. Know your place."

With that, he stomped off. Mari sobbed for a couple more minutes before sulking down the hallway opposite to the one Henri walked off in. When the coast was clear and some students began to walk in the hallway for afterschool activities, the girls decided to take advantage of that to blend in and go to their dorms. Miya and Ichigo made a run for Miya's dorm, since Miya didn't let Rumi know of her plan to spy on Henri. Also, Rumi might rat them out if she's coerced to do so. Miya's roommate was more of a social butterfly than Rumi is and so her roommate was almost never in their dorm; coming in at very late hours and leaving at peak hours of dawn. Sometimes for a couple of nights her roommate didn't come back; but she always made sure to text Miya if she didn't plan on coming to their dorm for the night.

Miya's phone dinged, and she checked it. Sure enough, her roommate Saaya (get that Shugo Chara reference?) told her that she's not coming back to their dorm. She was relieved because that means the girls can discuss what they just saw more in detail.

"What if your roommate comes?" Ichigo asked worriedly.

"She's sleeping over at some friend's house," Miya shrugged indifferently, "Saaya's got at least a thousand people she calls her sisters and BFF's."

"Sisters? Like those girls in sororities?" Ichigo asked in confusion.

"God no," Miya retorted, "She just considers girls she can rely on as sisters, but she's got a lot of them."

"Sounds like Rumi," Ichigo commented.

"Oh, trust me, she's way more social than her," Miya laughed, "Almost like she's got her own kingdom of friends."

The two sat on Miya's bed. They just sat there, leaned against the wall where the bed touched it and were in deep thought. The two were wondering how they should discuss what they just witnessed over the day. Miya breathed out loudly, startling Ichigo who snapped out of her daze.

"Today was a long day," Miya stated, but her voice kind of made it seem like a question.

Ichigo slowly nodded and said, "It would seem so."

"What are you going to do about it?" Miya asked.

The brunette looked at the pale, beige wall of the dorm across the room from her. She sighed and shrugged, letting her shoulders shakily rise and slump in defeat slowly. "I don't know, really," Ichigo said, "It seems like Mari wouldn't hold back if sensei got fonder of me."

"It isn't like you can control that," Miya argued, "You can't control love no matter how much you want to. Did I ever tell you how and why I fell in love with Kashino-kun?"

"No, I only heard the stupid rumors spread about you in school, but I never believed them," Ichigo said.

Miya's eyebrow rose in response and she asked slowly, "What would they say?"

"That you fell in love with his looks and money," Ichigo responded, "They said it with a bitter tone, obviously jealous of your wealthy status and how they should've known someone as rich as you would end up with someone as rich as him."

"They don't understand," Miya snapped, but then caught her harsh tone and apologized to Ichigo.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down, Miya explained, "Coming from my lineage, my staff had been petrified of hurting my feelings. So no matter what I baked they would eat it and always force some compliments out of their mouths, just to make me feel happy. I was annoyed a little bit but satisfied they didn't dare insult me. But Kashino, he didn't hold back his tongue on criticizing my work and telling me that honesty is the only way to become better. Of course, I was hurt, but I strove to work hard to make better sweets. And I fell in love with him and for the past few years I had been trying to get his affections."

"That…that seems so sweet," Ichigo smiled happily.

Miya nodded and said, "But the point of my little story is that you can't control love. You can't control when you fall in love and how you do so. Out of all the things you do have in control of your life, love is not one of them."

"So, am I obligated to love him back?" Ichigo asked defensively.

Miya shook her head and said, "I am not saying you have to do anything. Take your time. But don't be against the concept of love."

Even after she left her friend's dorm and went to her own, Miya's words rung in her head like a little reminder. Ichigo wondered if she could ever fall in love with Henri like the way he was in love with her. Could she fall in love with him? Could they have a chance of being together? And even if they do get together, could they maintain their relationship even with the threat of Mari and Francois looming over them?

 **TBC…**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry for late update! Uni getting tougher! Anywho... enjoy this chapter and happy Halloween!**

"Hey can I talk to you?" Kashino said to Ichigo one day when they were working.

The brunette rolled her eyes and paused in her icing work to turn and face him. A frown had etched its way onto her face as she bit out, "If you are going to call me one more insult, then forget it."

"No, I have something else to say," Kashino blushed at the mention of that humiliating incident.

That caused her to come to a start and her brown eyes peered distastefully at Kashino and said cautiously, "Depends on what you want to talk about."

"It's about Miya," Kashino replied.

"What about her?" Ichigo asked cautiously.

"She's changed lately," Kashino said, going back to his work to tempering with chocolate.

Plucking her bowl of strawberries and washing them in a skink, Ichigo said, "Well use your detective skills. Why would she try another approach to getting your attention?"

"Because she is a fangirl?" Kashino guessed.

"You know, you may have stellar grades but your emotional IQ is at an all-time low," Ichigo snorted. She switched the tap off and pulled out a chopping board as well as a knife to chop the strawberries.

Kashino raised an eyebrow at her sarcasm but didn't say anything, in case if she wanted to continue on her statement and elaborate on her insult at his expense.

"Do you know why she would try so hard to get your attention?" Ichigo asked again, "Don't even talk about socioeconomic status and all that crap. She could care less about your money."

"Then why else would she want to be with me?" Kashino asked.

Ichigo shrugged and said, "To be honest, I wondered the same thing too. You are such a cold-hearted, arrogant, rude, selfish jerk who has a superiority complex over others."

The blunt, harsh comment made him scowl. But he kept his mouth shut, in fear that she could just decide not to help him because she got offended.

"When was the first time you met?" Ichigo suddenly asked.

"What?" Kashino asked, confused.

"I said, when was the first time you met her?" Ichigo repeated her question.

"How does this help answer my question?" Kashino asked.

"Just do it, you dimwit," Ichigo whipped a spatula out of a drawer and held it in front of his face suddenly.

Kashino flinched at the sudden aggression but nonetheless complied and said, "I met her at a party. I think it was her family hosting it. She had a booth of sweets she made and she was coercing people to buy from it."

"Okay, and what happened?" Ichigo lowered her spatula.

He scratched his head and said, "Well, she looked at me and told me I could have a free sweet. I really wasn't in the mood for food or socialize but I knew I couldn't say no because she looked like she would cause some kind of drama if I said no."

"What did you do?" Ichigo asked.

"I tasted it. It was horrid. Some parts were uncooked, some parts were burnt. All in all, it wasn't really edible, or safe to eat. But this time I didn't hold back on my tongue because I felt like false praises won't help her succeed," Kashino explained, "So I told her my honest opinion and she ran up the stairs crying to her room."

"And did she give up on you?" Ichigo asked.

"No. If anything she vowed to me to improve on her skills so she could impress me," Kashino's eyes widened once he said the last sentence.

Ichigo smiled a little as she said, "Bingo."

A couple of moments were quiet between the two before Ameya-sensei came to taste Group A's work. She gave them all A+ and Ichigo began to wash and dry the dishes. Right before they left, Kashino asked, "But why would she try and try and try after all this time? Wouldn't she give up?"

"She thinks you are different. It isn't the money that drew her to you, it was your honesty and hard work. Therefore, she deemed it necessary to work hard to gain your affections. That's why she was willing to embarrass herself over and over again if it meant you noticed her," Ichigo explained, secretly smirking at Kashino's blushing face.

"Here is her phone number," Ichigo input Miya's phone number into Kashino's cell phone and said, "Quit being a wuss and text her or call her. Straighten this all out. Because that girl's a gem and you are lucky to have snagged a person like her."

With that she left him behind in the now empty classroom. The moment she left the classroom, Ichigo whipped out her cell phone and texted Miya, _you owe me one. Consider me a matchmaker._

Ichigo was walking down the hallway that would lead to the exit doors when a voice called out, "Amano."

The said brunette turned around, obviously miffed that someone was being an obstacle between her and her after-school nap. Her hand resting on the door knob and her feet bouncing on her toes, Ichigo looked like in any given moment she could break out into a run.

Behind her was Tennouji Mari. And she looked pissed off for some reason. Her honey eyes were cold and hateful, her stance was defensive with her hands crossed over her chest and her foot tapping the tiled floor as if she were expecting Ichigo to say, do or give her something.

"What do you need?" Ichigo asked.

"Come with me," Mari said and turned around, walking down the hallway in the opposite direction.

Ichigo almost felt like leaving the building and abandoning her due to her haughty behavior. But she had some kind of feeling that if she did such a bold move, Mari would not let her live it down. Something about her 'popular' or 'queen' vibe gave her some kind of dread that Mari would make Ichigo's school life a living hell. And it won't be hard when students know she is a recruit from Henri and in Group A.

Mari stopped abruptly at a door and opened it. Ichigo wondered sarcastically if this was a secret torture room where she will be strangulated to death. Instead, the room was nothing but glass cases filled with trophies. And upon closer inspection, it had Mari's names on all of them.

"Fantastic, isn't it?" Mari smirked at her inspection of the accomplishments, "Yes, I won all of this."

Ichigo peered at the walls and saw that they were newspaper clippings, pages from magazines and advertisements that Mari made appearances in.

"I got so many endorsements and recognition," Mari said proudly, "All because of sensei."

Ichigo shrugged and immediately felt bored; she was increasingly getting annoyed that her walk to her dorm room got cut short. Deciding enough was enough, she made her way to the door, intending to leave.

"Aren't you going to praise me?" Mari asked, offended that Ichigo wasn't bowing at her feet.

The young girl turned around and said, "You are too dependent. Always going on and on about, 'Sensei this, and sensei that'. Don't you have any character of your own? Are you not able to function on your own?"

"H-How dare you! Have you forgotten that he is the reason we are able to come here?!" Mari sputtered in anger.

"It is due to his generosity that I am able to attend this prestigious academy. However, that being said, I do not require his approval all the time, if at all. I have enough of a judgement to rely upon myself for improvement. You are so dependent you can't function without someone else's input, that someone being sensei. Always needing help from him, always seeking validation from others through praises. You have no sense of self and that's holding you back from being the best that you can be. To be honest your accomplishments do not impress me because of the nature of your character," Ichigo said, "Good day."

With that, she left the room and left Mari to steam quietly and mull over Ichigo's words with hatred.

-x-

"ICHIGO!" Miya's voice yelled through her phone the moment she picked up the call after finishing her homework

"Miya, please refrain from yelling right now. You might blast off my ear," Ichigo said in annoyance.

Miya paid no heed to her warning and continued to blabber as she said, "He texted me! Oh my god whatever you said to him must've been magic because he texted me and I have his number after God knows how many years-"

"What'd he say?" Ichigo said in interest, choosing to step outside of the dorm so Rumi could have some peace and quiet for studying.

"He said he'd like to meet up with me to hang out! Ichigo I can't breathe! OMG OMG OMG!" Miya squealed.

"Calm down," Ichigo said, "When are you two meeting up?"

"This Sunday! At 10 AM!" Miya shouted.

Ichigo nodded and said, "And where is this date going to be?"

"At an ice cream parlor!" Miya said excitedly.

"I might need to help you choose something to wear. Want me to head over to your room down the hall?" Ichigo offered.

"Yes please!" Miya sung.

It took the girls a couple of hours, but they agreed on a simple sundress, cute black ankle boots, and a denim jacket.

"Just to make sure I will come with you and stay with you until he comes to pick you up, ok?" Ichigo asked.

"That's fine! Yeah, I am so nervous about being bailed on," Miya agreed nervously.

 _That is exactly why I am suggesting this,_ Ichigo thought bitterly but decided not to mention this. Instead, she said, "Nonsense! I just want to provide some support, like how friends do! I mean, I did work my magic on him so I think it is safe to say I am good luck."

"How did you convince him?" Miya asked curiously.

"I did clarify with him why you really love him," Ichigo said, "And I told him he doesn't deserve you. But if you love him then I guess I could approve."

Miya's eyes watered as she wrapped her arms around Ichigo and pulled her into a hug. "That's the nicest thing anyone said about me with such sincerity!" Miya wailed.

Ichigo patted her arm awkwardly but let her hold her in a hug. If hugging Ichigo helped calm Miya down, then so be it. Later on, Ichigo went to her dorm after a couple of hours. Somehow hanging out with Miya made her happy, and Ichigo wondered why Miya was so well hated.

-x-

Sunday came quicker than expected, probably because Ichigo was NOT looking forward to seeing Kashino on a weekend, the couple of days that she should have to herself. But for Miya, it was the slowest, most agonizing days of her life.

At seven in the morning the girls started getting ready. Ichigo wore a simple white t-shirt, skin-tight jogging pants, and a blue jacket. It was Miya who needed the most time to get ready, with styling her hair, doing her makeup and nails before putting on her outfit.

"Can we skip?" Maya said all of a sudden the moment the two headed out the door.

"And to think you would be worried about being bailed, I think it is him who should be worried!" Ichigo scolded her, "No you may not skip. Not after waking up at 7 in the morning and helping you get ready."

"You're right," Miya said nervously, "It's just…"

"It's just what? You look fine, you are so sure you look ugly," Ichigo said.

"No, it's my first date," Miya blurted out.

Ichigo stopped walking and looked at Miya's embarrassed face. Her irritation melted away at that simple sentence. This was a big step for Miya, a date with her crush. And mind you, this was her crush she had been pining for many years, when it was only 3 years ago she decided to try to earn his affections.

"You will be fine. Now, I don't think spying on you will guarantee this date will run smoothly, but you can text me and I will always answer. If you need to ditch the date, just tell him you are texting me about an assignment we have. Use a fruit name as your one word text and I will call you with a fake emergency," Ichigo promised.

"Ok. How about strawberry? Because that's your favorite fruit?" Miya asked.

Ichigo thought about it and said, "Fair, I guess you have a point. Now let's make sure you get to your date on time."

After Ichigo made sure that Miya and Kashino were well on their date to the ice cream parlor, she decided to walk back to her dorm. She decided that maybe she could get some practice done. Maybe she could try to make Natsume a birthday cake from one of the designs she sketched. She was coming next weekend anyways. Practicing how to make the cake will do her some good before her sister comes.

As she walked over to the kitchen, a voice called her name.

"Ichigo-chan!" A voice excitedly called out.

"Hanabusa-kun, what is it?" Ichigo asked.

"I thought maybe we could make some sweets together!" Hanabusa suggested.

"That sounds like a great idea. Maybe we can combine our skills to make a couple of recipes of our own?" Ichigo suggested.

"That sounds great! Come on let's go!" He excitedly said.

 _He has the excitement of a 5-year-old,_ Ichigo thought warily as she allowed herself to be dragged to the kitchen.

Of course, on the way to the kitchen they passed Henri-sensei. The moment they locked eyes and Henri saw Hanabusa's hand locked around her wrist, his cerulean eyes narrowed. And Ichigo knew she was in for another wave of drama.

 **TBC…**


	7. Chapter 7

The moment Ichigo saw his eyes narrow as the two teens ran past him with arms interlocked was when she realized one thing for sure. She and Hanabusa wouldn't be getting to make sweets together.

And unlike Miya, Hanabusa is a guy. So naturally he is bound to jump to some sort of conclusions that she has a crush on him. And to be honest, she was really annoyed that he felt obligated to know about her non-existent romantic life. It felt like a breach of privacy.

But Hanabusa was too naïve to recognize the cold glare Henri cast their way and continued to tug her towards the kitchen. It was Henri's cold voice that made him freeze in his tracks, almost like a child who was caught sneaking cookies out of a jar in the middle of the night.

"And where do you think you two are going?" Henri inquired.

"To go make sweets, sensei," Ichigo said, not bothering to sugar-coat her reply anymore.

"And why would you be doing that on a Saturday?" Henri asked.

"To practice? What's wrong with that? Kashino gets to use the kitchen but not us? For simply practicing?" Ichigo asked, feeling angry all of a sudden.

Hanabusa was cautious and still, looking between the student and teacher. He didn't dare utter a word for the fear that he could get in trouble simply for speaking up. When Henri couldn't refute her question with a comment of his own, Ichigo took it as a silent victory on her behalf. She then tugged on Hanabusa's arm and led him to the kitchen.

They closed the door, but Ichigo knew full well that she couldn't ensure total privacy. The windows had no blinds.

"Ne, Ichigo?" Hanabusa asked cautiously, as Ichigo started to take ingredients and tools out of cabinets and drawers.

"Yes?" Ichigo replied.

"Are you sure we should make sweets? After sensei saw us? I think we did something to make him angry," Hanabusa paled when he saw their teacher spying on them.

Ichigo spot him out the corner of her eye and shook her head in exasperation, "I don't know what is wrong with him, but we aren't doing anything wrong. He should understand that. Kashino-kun can use this room for his tempering practices but we can't make simple sweets in here? Absurd. Now. What would you like to make?"

"How about candy roses? They are my specialty," Hanabusa suggested.

Ichigo smiled and said, "Perfect."

The two set out to work on making candy roses. And for Ichigo, it took a couple of attempts to get the rose to be presentable in appearance, looking just like any other rose Hanabusa himself would make. Now while she is a fast learner when it comes to skills, she was afraid he would criticize her to the point of insulting like Kashino would. But he never lost his patience and though he was hesitant to tell his true opinion of her first attempt, he didn't believe insults would help someone improve. Ichigo admired his quality at seeing the best in other people.

"You know," Ichigo said, as the two packaged the sweets, "You make a better teacher than Kashino."

"Really?" Hanabusa's eyes lit up at the compliment.

"I think so. Kashino is honest, yes, but when he gives criticism, he laces it with insults. Although I do value honesty, he goes a little too far in his critique. Almost goes to the point of crushing someone's ambitions," Ichigo said, "He might have had a rough past. I am not one to judge someone I barely know. But this is all I can gather."

"Well, you would be correct," Hanabusa nodded, "He did have a rough childhood."

"Really?" Ichigo asked in interest.

Hanabusa nodded again and said, "Well let's say his parents aren't supportive of his dream to be a patissier."

"Like mine are," Ichigo interjected, "My parents have been pressuring me to be a painter or musician."

"Exactly, like that. He comes from a line of doctors, and his parents own a hospital. Because he didn't want to become a doctor or overtake the business and instead study here, his parents basically disowned him. He was allowed to come here under the conditions that he makes the highest grades in his class," Hanabusa explained.

"That's rough. I'm sorry," Ichigo apologized, feeling bad that she harshly judged someone she didn't know without knowing their backstory.

"It isn't your fault, how were you supposed to know? You can't just go up to somebody and demand their life story," Hanabusa shrugged, "And besides, you aren't wrong. He does need to tone down his attitude a bit. If he wants to have more friends and maybe a shot at having a girlfriend."

"I think I took care of the girlfriend part," Ichigo laughed.

Hanabusa's eyes bulged out and he whispered in shock, "You two are dating…?"

"What? NO! Ew! I meant I set him up on a date with Miya!" Ichigo exclaimed, puking mentally at the thought of having any sliver of feelings for Kashino.

"Wait…he's on a date with the Heiress?" Hanabusa asked.

"Yeah, but she's a totally different person when you get to know her," Ichigo shrugged.

"I'm not questioning anymore," Hanabusa said, "But let's split up the candies. Maybe we can make one of your recipes next time?"

"For sure!" Ichigo nodded in excitement; she couldn't wait to practice again with him.

They split the candies they made and bid farewell. Ichigo saw that Henri had left from where he was spying from outside the classroom. Possibly he thought she wasn't up to anything and decided to go somewhere else do accomplish some more pressing matters.

Glad she wasn't in trouble she walked down the hallway that led to the edge of the building. But she passed Henri's office, she felt a little bad about what she said to him (although she felt like it wasn't her fault). Taking one of her candies, and using one of his sticky notes he had on his desk she wrote a simple message with a sharpie marker:

 _Sensei,_

 _Although I will not apologize for practicing making sweets with Hanabusa, I hope you like this candy rose I made. It was the best rose I made, and even Hanabusa-kun said it was better than any other rose he made._

 _From,_

 _Amano Ichigo_

She pressed the sticky side of the note on his desk and laid the sweet next to the note. And left his office as well as the building.

Ichigo entered her dorm and put her sweets in the mini-fridge she and Rumi shared. Then she decided to watch a movie on Netflix as a way to pass time while she waited for Miya to finish her date. Halfway through her movie, her phone dinged. Ichigo shut her laptop the moment she saw Miya's name flash on the notification.

She unlocked her phone and opened the text. It read:

 _Strawberry!_

Ichigo immediately called Miya, and not even two seconds later, she answered in a seemingly nonchalant voice, "Hey Ichigo, what's up? What's wrong?"

"Miya! I don't feel too good! Ugh, I think I ate something weird!" Ichigo groaned to add a special effect.

"Calm down, Ichigo, do you think you caught the stomach flu?" Miya played along, going all 'doctor mode' on her.

"I think so, but I need help getting to the nurse's office," Ichigo said, "I checked the hours, they are open today."

"Alright just hang tight, I am coming," Miya said quickly. Faintly, Ichigo could hear Miya relay Ichigo's fake emergency to Kashino as an excuse to leave the date.

Not even fifteen minutes went by before she heard rapid knocking on her bedroom door. Ichigo bolted up from her bed and let Miya in her room. The girl sat on Ichigo's bed as well and buried her face in her hands. Ichigo could only make out some of her grumbling.

"Miya, I can't understand what you're saying," Ichigo said, confused.

"He's insufferable!" Miya exclaimed.

"What? What do you mean?" Ichigo asked, astonished.

"I mean what I mean! He was critiquing everything about the ice-cream we were eating to the point I felt stupid for even suggesting that we had a date there! Look, I know his honesty is quite admirable. But it ruined the atmosphere for our date!" Miya exclaimed, "I don't know if he did that to get rid of me or that was him doing it unconsciously. But his rambling got too annoying that I had to text you."

"Well, isn't he just charming?" Ichigo said sarcastically, "Sometimes I wonder if it was his first date, too."

"Well it was my first date but at least I didn't criticize the ice-cream we ate!" Miya exclaimed in annoyance.

Ichigo sighed and realized, playing cupid wasn't as easy as it looked. She rubbed Miya's back and said, "I guess I will have to have a 'chat' with him."

Miya nodded, and sniffled. She reached for the tissue box and blew her nose on a tissue. After wiping her nose until it looked like a clown's nose or Rudolph's nose, she asked in a tiny voice, "Should I give up on him?"

Ichigo held her friend at arm's length and asked, astonished, "What would make you say that?"

"I tried and tried for years to get his attention, and the moment I do, he just has to screw up our first date!" Miya wailed, "Maybe we're not meant to be. Maybe this is a sign I should just move on and try to look elsewhere."

Ichigo planted both of her hands onto Miya's shoulders and said, "Don't ever think like that. You need to know that love is more difficult than any other human emotion. It may be the most euphoric feeling but also it can be the root cause of heartbreak. Learning to navigate it takes a lot of time and efforts, as well as failed attempts."

Miya, astonished, nodded. For once she didn't retort to Ichigo's rare moment of positivity.

"Now, I will have a talk with him. But, don't ever think like that ever again," Ichigo threatened Miya.

Once again, Miya nodded. Ichigo smiled, glad her point went across. Opening and unlocking her laptop, she pulled up Netflix and went to the search bar.

"What movie makes you feel happy when you are down? We can see if Netflix has it," Ichigo prompted Miya.

After contemplating for a minute or two, Miya took the computer and typed in 'Mean Girls' into the search bar. When the movie popped up, she selected it. The two girls huddled on the bed and watched the movie for the next couple of hours.

-x-

Henri sighed in annoyance. His day was obviously not going well. First, he angered Ichigo for no apparent reason. It was once that after he left the corridor that he realized his jealousy was irrational.

 _Doubt she will forgive me after my little stunt now._

Second, Mari became way clingier. He had to blame it on her confrontation. He supposed that his response wasn't one that she was expecting of him. It seemed she bugged him for his answer not for honesty but for closure and assurance that she's better than Ichigo. And when she didn't get the desired answer, she went nuts.

Lemon, an underclassman, happened to be walking the corridors when she witnessed Mari force Ichigo to follow her. Out of concern and because of her dislike for Mari, Lemon followed the two. She witnessed Mari arrogantly display all of her trophies as a way to make Ichigo feel inferior. And after Ichigo shot down her ego and left, she heard Mari's plans for revenge to make Henri her boyfriend.

She snitched on Mari that same day to Henri and he confronted it about that incident to Mari when she annoyed him some hours after he stopped spying on Ichigo. After a long interrogation, she burst down and cried. Mari admitted to being a snob and attempting to put forth into action her plans for revenge.

After coldly rejecting Mari, she latched onto his arm and pleaded him to rethink his decision and not consider an ugly brat like Ichigo. Obviously, anyone who has half of a brain would think better than to insult Ichigo. He snapped and called for security to drag her away under the threat that he would expel her if she ever tried another stunt again.

He tried to relax after the string of stressful events by going out for coffee, taking a quick nap, listening to calm music. But none of them did anything to lessen the pounding in his head.

Opening the door, he thought he could get some work done in his office. But when he sat down on his desk he saw a sweet and a note. From Ichigo.

Suddenly, he felt warm. Reading the note, he was happy to receive the best rose she made that day. He decided to take a closer inspection at the rose.

It was, indeed, very much resembling a real rose. Like one someone would buy as part of a beautiful bouquet from a florist shop. Plucking off a petal and popping it in his mouth, he was hit with a flurry of flavors.

 _Childishness, joy, happiness._ All feelings a 'pure' child would feel.

Maybe it would be Ichigo's way of explaining of how she wished her childhood was like – filled of good memories instead of painful ones.

From the tip of his tongue he could taste a tinge of bitterness – a feeling of regret and sorrow. How her childhood actually was.

 **TBC…**


	8. Chapter 8

Ichigo decided to wait him out, before confronting him about the disastrous date. Because if it was one thing she learned about boys, they were pretty simple creatures. They were a lot less confrontational than girls and would let go of feuds and embarrassing situations after some time was given.

This 'safety net' of time period was to give him the false illusion that he was in the green light. Like nothing went wrong. Heck, he thought Ichigo REALLY DID have an emergency. He didn't know they had this whole thing planned and a safety word for emergencies.

"Boys are too easy to trick," Ichigo laughed under her breath quietly; she momentarily sucked in her breath as Ameya-sensei passed to check their creations.

After getting a perfect score for her creation, Ichigo began to wash away her utensils. She waited until all of their supplies were packed away and then latched onto Kashino's hand the moment he could attempt to walk out of the classroom.

"Where do you think you're going, you little jerk?" Ichigo asked quietly.

Kashino froze. Hanabusa and Andou looked at each-other and decided to rush out of there before they also got the brunt of her anger. Kashino tried to run after them, but stopped short when he felt her fingernails dig into his skin. The burning sensation kept him rooted to the ground.

"You're not going anywhere, you little fucker," Ichigo swore and started to drag him next to the statue of the Queen of Sweets Spirits. Sensing no one was around, she looked at Kashino with a defensive look.

"Well? What are you doing there, gawking like an idiot? Explain yourself!" Ichigo barked.

"I don't know what you want me to talk about! I didn't insult you this time!" Kashino exclaimed.

"I do have to admit, that is some kind of achievement. Headlines! Kashino Makoto, an elite at St. Marie's branch in Japan, was able to keep his god damn mouth shut for an hour and a half today! Like I care about that crap," Ichigo glared, "Tell me why you had to just go ahead and criticize food when you are on a date with Miya?"

Kashino put his hands up in defense and said, "Well it's not my fault that they didn't make good quality ice cream!"

"There are children starving in this world and you had to be a brat about something not tasting 'good enough', and worse you have to do that during a date?! It's a god-forsaken DATE, not the CAKE GRAND PRIX!" Ichigo yelled, "DID IT HURT TO BE A LITTLE CONSIDERATE?"

"All I was doing was critiquing the ice cream," Kashino argued.

"On a DATE? Listen, blondie, there are situations in which you can criticize and not criticize. A DATE with a GIRL is not when you can be a full-out jerk and negatively review everything you eat. You get your sorry butt and apologize to her, ok?" Ichigo threatened, "Or so help me, I will punch your nose in."

Kashino nodded and Ichigo didn't wait for him to say anything else before she stormed away from the statue, leaving him all alone.

-x-

"Wow, what kind of sorcery is this? Kashino ACTUALLY apologized!" Vanilla laughed as the two made some cakes for Natsume's birthday.

"Well I taught him a lesson on how not to be an A-hole," Ichigo smirked, "Hopefully he took notes. His test will be in the form of a second date with Miya."

"When will the date be?" Vanilla asked once the cake was in the oven, "Tell me all the details."

Ichigo laughed, "Well…"

 _-Flashback-_

 _It had been that same night Ichigo cornered Kashino and had that 'talk' about the disastrous date. After threatening him to go apologize to Miya and offer compensation, Ichigo's phone rang as she did French homework._

 _Deciding to call a study break, Ichigo snapped her book shut and accepted the call that flashed on her screen. The moment she pressed the green button on the screen, Miya's excited voice thundered through the speakers._

" _Woah, calm down Miya!" Ichigo laughed nervously, not able to comprehend her fast chatter._

" _He apologized for how horribly the date went and was willing to spend time with me before we go on another date!" Miya exclaimed._

"… _well that's nice," Ichigo said, stunned. She thought he would hastily ask Miya on another date just to get Ichigo off his back. But he was putting some real effort to get to know Miya._

" _I know! I was thinking the same thing too. I thought he would smooth things over with a second date but he wants to spend time getting to know me before we plan the next one," Miya sighed dreamily._

" _Just know that our safety word will stay the same, ok?" Ichigo reminded her._

 _Miya laughed and said, "Of course! But wait…don't you think he will think it is suspicious that you would magically have an 'emergency' every single time?"_

" _Miya, if it is one thing you need to know about boys, is that they are too simple to suspect such things. He sent me a 'get well' text," Ichigo snorted, "It will take him a long time to realize our trick. And by the time that happens I will come up with a new trick up my sleeve."_

" _Alright, if you say so," Miya said nervously._

" _I insist. Now, tell me how it goes, ok? If possible, send me pictures of you two together," Ichigo laughed._

"…and that's how my threats worked," Ichigo narrated to Vanilla.

Vanilla beamed for a moment, but then frowned after a while. Ichigo knew something was up with her little sweets spirit, so she decided to probe her for answers. "I know what look. What's the matter now?"

"It's just… everyone is starting to fall in love with someone but you," Vanilla lamented.

Ichigo flushed and stammered, "W-What? Stop this nonsense, Vanilla!"

"It's true! Caramel told me Andou-kun has a crush on Kana and is thinking of writing a love note for her, Satsuki-kun is thinking of making candy roses for this cute girl whose one grade your junior, Lemon. Kashino and Maya are close. That insane girl Mari is after Henri-sensei. And who are you after?" Vanilla asked.

Ichigo frosted a couple of roses next to a star she made out of sliced strawberries on Natsume's cake. She should've known Vanilla would pop this question, the little fairy was a romantic at heart as well. "I didn't come here to have a boyfriend, Vanilla. My life won't be over if I don't fall in love right away. Goodness sake, it hasn't been one semester here!"

Vanilla wasn't convinced. Nevertheless, she wasn't about to start peer-pressuring her partner to talk about things she didn't want to talk about. However, that doesn't mean she won't bring it up later. She won't be satisfied until Ichigo has a boyfriend.

"Well let's take these cakes to my room. Natsume will be coming tomorrow," Ichigo smiled as she placed Natsume's birthday cake in a box.

"What will you two be doing?" Vanilla asked.

"Oh, she and I will have a picnic near the pond. She has to leave later on tomorrow for home. Thankfully her birthday falls on a Saturday this year," Ichigo smiled.

"Your parents are willing to drive her here? Even though they don't like you?" Vanilla asked, shocked.

Ichigo sighed and shrugged, "When you're the star of the house, parents are willing to keep you happy. Natsume is their pearl. If she's happy, then they are happy."

The little blonde sweets spirit could sense the sad undertone of her voice; it pained her that Ichigo felt like she wasn't good enough for her parents. So, what if she didn't want to play an instrument? What kind of parent would basically disown their own child for not liking the same things they do? Aren't parents supposed to foster and nurture the dreams of their children?

"Your eyes ask a million questions," Ichigo remarked at the conflicted look on Vanilla's face, "I am guessing it has to do with the last statement I just said."

"I just…can't believe such horrible parents exist," Vanilla hesitated to frame her words.

"There are worse parents in the world. Some would physically, emotionally or mentally abuse their own children. Some have killed their children, or violated them in ways unspeakable. World is cruel, Vanilla. There are good parents, yes. But my parents are nowhere near how horrible they can get," Ichigo sighed.

"It doesn't mean you deserve this neglect from them," Vanilla argued.

The brunette smiled and patted her little friend on the head with two fingers and said, "Thank you. You're too sweet."

"I guess we should get some rest," Vanilla suggested.

"We should. I want to make sure tomorrow is memorable for Natsume," Ichigo smiled.

The very next day, Vanilla decided to spend with the other sweets spirits. Although it was highly unlikely Natsume could see her, she knew Ichigo could. Vanilla knew trying to bother Ichigo could make it seem like the brunette has gone nuts; as Ichigo would 'seemingly talk' to nothing.

From what she observed, Natsume was a very cute girl indeed. Vary affectionate, happy and adorable. A loving younger sister. She could see why Ichigo would dote over Natsume. This girl adored Ichigo and was always in awe of her.

"She seems like a nice girl, desu," Caramel said, floating over to Vanilla.

"That's true. I'm glad Ichigo has a kind sister," Vanilla sighed, "Her parents on the other hand aren't so sweet."

"That's bad! Poor girl, desu," Caramel lamented.

"Why aren't her parents supportive?" Café asked.

"I don't think they view being a patissiere as a professional career. They view it as a hobby," Vanilla sighed.

Chocolat snorted and said, "That's lame. Her parents suck, just like Kashino's parents."

Vanilla, for the first time in decades, secretly agreed with Chocolat. For the first time she didn't feel like strangling the fairy that specialized in chocolate.

"Ichigo! When do I get to eat my cake?" Natsume asked excitedly.

"Just a moment! I have to put the candles on it," Ichigo counted the candles on it, one for each year of Natsume's age.

"What if I become, like 40? Are you going to put that many candles on it?" Natsume asked, giggling.

Ichigo laughed and said, "That's why there are the number candles. Don't worry, you will always be a sweet little girl to me. But even I don't want to create a fire hazard on your special day. No matter how many years from now."

Natsume snorted but nevertheless blew out the candles. Ichigo clapped and asked, "You made a wish?"

"Yes, but like I tell you every year, I can't tell you!" Natsume grinned.

Ichigo rolled her brown eyes and brought out a knife to cut the cake and serve it on a plate. Handing the first slice to the birthday girl she said, "I hope you like the cake!"

"Anything you make is definitely edible. And don't let mom and dad know, but far better than anything they can conjure in the kitchen!" Natsume whispered and whipped her head as if she were a criminal guilty of a crime.

Ichigo laughed and motioned her to eat the slice of the cake. Natsume took her fork and cut off a piece of the cake, popping it in her mouth. Her eyes lit up in recognition of the flavor of the cake.

"Strawberry!"

"Yes, I know you love it as much as I do, if not more," Ichigo grinned, and took her slice.

The two girls polished half of the cake together, with Ichigo packing the rest of the cake for her to take home. After promising to not let their parents have even a crumb of it (Ichigo still had a grudge against them), Ichigo decided to move onto the presents.

"I was shopping for supplies for your cake when I ran into a music shop. I know you are one for everything music and…I don't know if this is related to the piano, but I found these adorable silver treble clef earrings. I just had to buy them for you!" Ichigo explained when Natsume opened the gift.

"I love it! Can I put it on?" Natsume grinned, marveling the gift.

"Silly girl, of course you can!" Ichigo smiled and assisted in helping her sister placing on the stud earrings.

Natsume took out her phone, selected the camera app, and switched the camera to the selfie mode. Tilting the head to each side to inspect each earring, she exclaimed, "I am never gonna take them off!"

Ichigo laughed and said, "Well take them off to clean them once in a while! I don't want dirt to build up and cause an infection."

The younger sibling pouted but nevertheless agreed to do so. The sisters spent a considerable time together, walking around the campus and with Ichigo giving Natsume a tour wherever guests weren't restricted on campus. When 7:00 pm rolled around, the two siblings found themselves at the gate. They were reluctant to go back to the harsh realities the world holds outside.

"I think this is the part where we have to say goodbye," Ichigo whispered.

"When will I see you again?" Natsume's eyes teared up, "I remember a week ago, mom and dad don't want you back at our house for Christmas."

"I had a feeling they would say that," Ichigo sighed, "I have a friend who is more than willing to let me stay at her house for Christmas."

"But when will I see you again? I'm scared," Natsume whispered.

"You will see me for the summer," Ichigo promised.

"That is if mom and dad want to see your face," Natsume snorted.

Ichigo gripped her sister's hands in her own and said, "Look at me."

When her sister complied, Ichigo said, "No one can take us apart. Not even our parents. I will always make time for you. Sure, we won't be able to see each other as much as we wish. But you have a phone. And you can call me. They can't prohibit from you talking to me, can they?"

"No…" Natsume trailed off, sad.

"Chin up. Hope is not lost," Ichigo said, tilting her sister's chin up to meet her own gaze, "We will meet again. It won't be forever."

The moment they hugged, a black SUV pulled up in front of the school. Natsume, knowing her mother's vehicle from anywhere, squeezed her sister in anticipation. Then, they slowly detached from each other. Natsume opened the gate, and looked at her sister.

Ichigo sadly smiled and waved her right hand.

Giving a weak smile of her own, Natsume stepped out and closed the gate. Slowly she tore her gaze from her older sister's eyes and disappeared into the SUV, the vehicle speeding off the moment her door slammed shut.

And somehow, it felt like she had been stabbed in the chest.

 **TBC…**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hey guys! I saw all your reviews! You guys were asking me to update and I promise you I wasn't inactive! Truth is, every time I wanted to start writing, two things happened: 1) university got in the way, and 2) I became a potato with plot-twist ideas and actually getting to typing. This is more of a filler chapter, which will lead to some really good suspense in the next one.**

 **Also, just know my updates will be really slow because I am starting my 3** **rd** **year in university and that stuff gets harder each semester you survive! So if you think I am dead, please PM me and I will promptly assure you I am alive, just trying my best to juggle my personal life, academic life and my writing life here on this website!**

It had been bothering Ichigo for a while, why that picture always rested on the corner of his desk. For a while, it didn't bother her. A picture of his grandfather shouldn't be speculated. But why would he cherish a picture of his grandfather _and_ her grandmother?

"You know," Miya said during lunch, "If I didn't know any better, I would've said that his grandfather _loved_ her, even."

"What do you know?" Rumi rolled her eyes, "You finally got to spend some quality time with Makoto, much less advice people on love."

Miya scoffed and said, "Who said I was schooling people on love? I'm just giving my two cents because Ichigo brought this up!"

"And…this is all due to Ichigo's ability to smack talk some sense into him, remember?" Rumi continued, as if she didn't see Ichigo's warning stare from the corner of her eyes.

"You two, stop it," Ichigo sighed, rubbing her temples with her index fingers, "Arguing never really solves any problems."

The two sighed and decided to call an end to their bickering for the sake of the young girl. But, a mischievous glint in their eyes that was communicated non-verbally telepathically relayed that this childish banter was nowhere near over.

"But really, what if this is the only photo he has of his grandfather? Is he not allowed to keep it with him?" Rumi asked.

Miya rolled her eyes and said, "Who only takes ONE picture of somebody and that's it? Heck, my family has boxes and boxes of photos of each family member in the attic of our mansion. People have always been obsessed with taking lots of photos for memories, even though it will cost to develop the photos back in the day."

"That's true. And in our generation, teens our age would be obsessed with selfies," Rumi nodded.

"I never knew the day would come that both of you would agree on the same thing," Ichigo deadpanned.

Rumi snorted but said, "Well now that I think about it, Miya does have a point. We can't just sit around and be ok with the fact that the ONLY photo in his office is of his grandfather and your grandmother. Doesn't he care to have his own photo? Maybe with an award he won or a photo of him with other people in it? That's what normal people do, you know. That doesn't make someone narcissist, it doesn't hurt to have memories in your office."

"Exactly! Finally, we see eye to eye!" Miya sighed.

"Well what do you want me to do? Sneak into his office?" Ichigo snapped.

"Been there, done that, you do NOT want to go in there," Miya wiped imaginary sweat off her forehead.

"What? Did you find some inappropriate stuff in there?" Rumi snickered quietly.

"Ew! No!" Miya slapped Rumi's arm and ignored her cry of pain, "I mean that obnoxious girl always lingers in the hallway leading up to his office. Always thinking that somehow if she is patient enough he might be in his office and maybe let her in. But the moment he gets there, he always slams the door in her face."

"I always wonder if something is written on the back of the photo," Rumi mumbled to herself.

"Oh, heaven above, not you too!" Miya exclaimed.

"What? People in movies do that," Rumi shrugged.

"That is EXACTLY what Ichigo said," Miya sighed.

"Well it doesn't hurt to try, now does it?" Rumi asked.

"Well, maybe this time, let's send our Sweets Spirits. I think I have gotten a heart attack from my first attempt at sneaking in," Miya said.

The three girls agreed and decided that Marron and Vanilla would go to his office late at night to get a peek at what's behind the photo.

The two spirits would hide behind a fire hydrant situated on the wall for any fire emergencies. The moment they saw Henri leave, they took their chance. Although he locked his door before leaving, there was enough space in the crack under the door for the two sweets spirits to squeeze through.

And they were correct in assuming they could squeeze through, because they fit like a glove. Both of them pat their cute dresses free of dirt and then decided to rummage as much as they can using the thin strip of evening light. They figured if they turned on the office lights, he might come back to check who infiltrated his office, and the both of them would be caught. If it got dark enough they could use the flashlights their partners gave to them.

"You know," Vanilla said, "You are a lot easier to work with. Chocolat is such a brat."

"Hmm, the one who has a fork and a red apron?" Marron asked.

"Yeah. Always criticizes Ichigo and insults my habits. I guess my cutesy way of personality is overboard, but she always makes sure I feel bad about it. She knew me since forever, and she always claims she can't stand me. That's an excuse because even Ichigo has developed a method on how to deal with me and we only knew each other for a few months!" Vanilla exclaimed.

"Well, I never liked her from the beginning, either," Marron shrugged, continuing to look in a penholder for clues.

Vanilla paused as she looked through his filing cabinet, and asked, "Wait, really?"

"I guess it isn't too obvious because you never really see us in the same room. Maybe if we were, we didn't rip each other's heads off because we decided to keep our distance," Marron said factually.

"Was there…a fight?" Vanilla asked.

"We used to be friends before Miya and Kashino came. That's because we had no partners and we were equally bitter," Marron chuckled humorlessly, thinking about the days the two of them spent together, "We would rant together, pull pranks on each other, and trash talk our ex's. She even told me she liked one of the Jerks. But he was too much of a piece of crap to realize she liked him. And I was the one who comforted her when she shed angry tears over him. I was there with her during her high and low."

"So…Miya and Kashino's arrival changed that, huh?" Vanilla guessed.

"It did," Marron nodded, "She chose Kashino right off the bat to be her partner. He looked and acted kind of like her crush. Also, he wants to be a chocolatier as his specialty, so they were a good fit. Kashino still strikes me as a bit of a brat, all pompous and arrogant with his good grades and skills. But I found some good in him; he isn't willing to sugarcoat his words because he feels like criticism can help someone improve themselves if they are willing to take advice and not feel discouraged. Although, he didn't have to go all Gordan Ramsay on people, but still I do appreciate his honesty."

"So…what broke the friendship?" Vanilla asked in fear.

"We had a fight when she found out I chose Miya. I chose Miya because she was determined. Of course, her skills were atrocious from the beginning and she did improve slowly. And I knew choosing her would mean it would take me a longer time to become a Royal Court patissiere. But I chose her because she is strong willed, stubborn in the right way, and always willing to take criticism to improve," Marron explained.

Closing the filing cabinet and starting on the next one, Vanilla sighed in disappointment but asked, "But that's not what she saw, wasn't it?"

"Yes. She saw a bratty, self-entitled rich girl who probably uses people as a human chair and footstool. She saw some sort of monster when she saw Miya. But I saw someone who was in love, truly in love and wanted him to see how much she felt about him," Marron sighed angrily, "And our disagreement broke our friendship. She vowed to never let Kashino date Miya. But I called her delusional to her face. Who is she to police that kid on what he should or shouldn't do? He can fall in love with whoever he wants and if it happens to be with Miya then I won't allow her to tamper with it."

"I think she went all mother mode on him because he does resemble her crush," Vanilla said, thinking about the obsession Chocolat has with Kashino.

Marron snorted but said, "It sounds…creepy! Trying to fill a hole in her heart with someone who is just a _kid._ "

"Try telling her that," Vanilla sighed, "It always ends with a fight. But here is the thing, I think Miya is a nice person, now that I understand her story. And I won't let her sabotage Miya's relationship with Kashino."

A smile, for the first time in long while, formed its way on the chestnut sweet spirit's face.

"Thank you," Marron said, "Not many people support them together."

"I will be honest with you, I didn't support them either. But Ichigo made me a more open-minded person, to truly discern good from bad. And Miya is a true gem. I am glad they're together," Vanilla smiled.

There was a peaceful atmosphere between the two spirits, but it didn't take long for them to become frustrated because neither of them are finding anything that could be evidence.

"Hey how about we look behind the picture? We can snap a photo with our utensils!" Vanilla exclaimed.

"And what if the Queen sees it?" Marron asked.

"We can choose not to send it!" Vanilla exclaimed.

"That's nice, but I think I see something better," Marron suggested, pointing to the polaroid camera next to the picture frame, "I think Miya and Ichigo should have some hard evidence. Turn on the lights but dim them so no one can suspect us but we have enough lighting to see the photo."

Vanilla did so and they snapped a photo of the Marie and Michiko. Then as the photo developed, they turned around the photo. To their astonishment, they saw a letter. From Marie to Michiko. And it wasn't short. It took the whole back of the photo to fit the letter in it.

"It isn't our business to read it. Just take the photo," Marron whispered.

Vanilla nodded and focused the lens on the photo. Once it was perfectly aligned she snapped the photo. And after it developed, they placed the photo back in the frame and the polaroid camera. They decided that the photos were of crystal clear quality, so the two spirits quietly turned off the light and left the office without a trace of existence.

The next morning, the photos were in Ichigo's hand as she and Miya stared at them in shock.

"Well…who would've thought he watched the same cheesy romance movies as you did?" Miya asked.

"Miya, this isn't the time!" Ichigo hissed.

"Right, right," Miya sighed, "But how do we confront this?"

"Well for starters, we can just read this note," Ichigo stated, "And then decide what to do."

Focusing on the letter, it read:

 _My dearest Michiko,_

 _I heard you are getting married. Getting married to someone who isn't me. I wish I could stop the wedding and tell you not to marry him. That the person you should be with has been there with you when you made mistakes and went to fix them._

 _But no one would approve of us. There is a considerable age difference between us, and society only views it acceptable for a man to be a couple years older than his partner, if not the same age._

 _It wouldn't matter if there was no stigma about age. You wouldn't return the feelings I have for you. All those times my hand would linger on your shoulder, the smiles I gave you and the hugs that seemed to last a little longer than others. You never noticed. You always perceived it as a friendly gesture._

 _It seems that even I must part ways with you. I am not allowed to sit and pine for you forever, if I could. With social status comes responsibilities. And there are certain things I am required to do to ensure that my 'lineage' and 'name' lives on in the world._

 _It is disheartening and sorrowful that this is what it has come to._

 _Yours,_

 _Marie Lucas_

The two girls were quiet the moment they finished it. They stared at each other and felt as if their hearts dropped into their stomachs.

"Ichigo?" Miya asked, her voice trembling.

"Yes, Miya?" Ichigo answered, her voice fluttering.

"What did he mean when he said 'certain things'?" Miya asked quietly.

The brunette looked at the photo, and back to her friend. Staring her in the eyes, Ichigo felt her eyes become blurry. It was only when Miya's eyes flashed with alarm and had started to dab away at her tears with a thumb was she aware that she was crying.

"I think it means that he was forced to marry someone he didn't love, for social standing. And to ensure his name lived on, he would have to ensure a boy was born, because that's how families preserve their legacies," Ichigo whispered.

At this point, even Miya couldn't hold in her tears and Ichigo found herself wiping away her friend's tears for her.

"What are you gonna do, Ichigo?" Miya asked despondently.

"I…I don't know," Ichigo replied.

"Well you have to do something," Miya said, "Do you want history to repeat itself? Do you want to marry someone who isn't good enough with you, live a mediocre lifestyle with a mediocre person? Do you want him to marry that brat? Do you want him to suffer? Do you want to go your separate ways?"

"But how do I know he loves me? How do I know I love him?" Ichigo asked.

"Figure it out," Miya said, determined, "But hear me out, do not make the same mistakes your grandmother made. Don't be oblivious."

"So, I have to force myself to be in love with him?" Ichigo argued.

"No, I never said that. Quit taking words from my mouth," Miya snapped.

"So, what are you saying?" Ichigo pressed.

"I want you to figure it out. Figure out what you feel for him. Try to figure out if you do love him, if he loves you. I know for a fact he favors you. It might be something more than what is professionally acceptable, maybe," Miya said.

Ichigo's eyes furrowed as she asked skeptically, "How do you know?"

"The way his eyes linger on you, gives you more attention than he gives to Mari, the way he was willing to defend you when Mari trash talked you, when he got jealous when we made cakes for Kashino and he thought you were in love with Kashino, not him," Miya rambled, "Remember when you told me how his eyes narrowed in anger when he saw you and Hanabusa running towards the kitchen, hand in hand?"

All those times, when she could've sworn the green monster of jealousy creep into his eyes and his lips press into a firm line and his fists ball up, ready to swing? She was floored.

"You have to confront him about this. Before it is too late and he has slipped right out of your hands," Miya said solemnly, a tone of urgency lacing it, "I would be damned if that bitch got to him first."

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **TBC**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I was so excited that I decided to write some more and update quickly! Also, here is the moment you are all waiting for! Coming up in the next chapter is more lowkey amusing drama!**

The next afternoon, Henri was on his cell phone, trying to erase all the messages Mari had sent him. At the back of his mind, he had considered blocking her. But he was grateful that she only had his work cell phone number and not his personal one. Or else, she would make his life a personal hell.

There was a knock to his door and internally the young man gave a deep sigh. Turning the photo more towards him, he internally prayed that the person on the other side of the door was not Mari.

"Come in," Henri said, pinching the bridge of his nose; he just wanted to leave the office and be done with the day.

Instead of Mari, it was Ichigo. And his eyes shot up in surprise, but then his eyes widened in concern when he saw a solemn, determined look set in her eyes.

"Please close the door," Henri requested, "What do you need my help for?"

"Sensei, I don't want help. I want answers," Ichigo said after she sat down, "And I am sure you have them."

"Ichigo, what are you talking about?" Henri asked, puzzled.

"How come the only photo in this spacious office is of your grandfather and my grandmother?" Ichigo asked calmly.

To say he was surprised was an understatement. He was wondering how she was able to pick out the fact that those two, who bore uncanny resemblances to themselves, from the photo

"I was always told I looked like her. Maybe a little too oblivious like her," Ichigo continued on as if she didn't see his face morph into shock, "She was skilled, yes. But not too adept at picking up on emotional cues. Which was why I had to explain to her what was going on or else she might just go about her day."

"Why are you telling me this?" Henri asked.

Ichigo focused her large brown eyes on his blue ones and stated, "There was more to that picture, wasn't there? A story beyond it. They do say a picture is worth a thousand words. I bet you could write a whole novel on this."

Henri sighed and nodded, "I wonder how you were able to pick up on that. But yes, if you are curious, my grandfather loved her. It was just familial affection, really, at first. He viewed her as a pupil who he would make sure would shine one day. Eventually, they confided their secrets in each other. But then one thing led to another and he realized that he didn't see her as a friend. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Michiko."

"But she only saw him as a friend?" Ichigo asked.

"It's not confirmed about her feelings. I don't know what she felt, really. It could've been that, or it could've been her fear of social elites and the scrutiny that comes to being in such high standing. I will never really know unless there is some sort of writing from her. But Marie felt like it was all one-sided. I think he was willing to break the rules to have her hand in marriage. When you're in love you would take all the burns just to be with that person. And he didn't mind being criticized for his choice in life partner. But she got married to someone else. He developed depression, allowed society to control him again like a puppet and he married someone for social standing just to create an heir and preserve the name," Henri sighed, trailing a finger down the picture frame as he looked at the picture of the two.

There was a moment where the two didn't say anything. He watched her, as she looked at anything in the room but him. For a moment Henri thought he made her feel uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry," Ichigo said quietly, "She never told me."

"It's beyond your control, really," Henri sighed, leaning back in his seat, "My grandfather really just kept to himself."

"Just like you," Ichigo whispered.

"I'm sorry?" Henri asked, alarmed.

"Remember the time I helped Koshiro-senpai a cake for Kashino so she could confess her feelings for him? Or that time Hanabusa-kun and I went to the kitchen to go make candy roses and he happened to grab my hand? The irrational anger you displayed is one a teacher wouldn't get upset about. What teacher would have a problem with a student going to go practice a skill? Or making a pastry with a friend? They don't break rules, and in fact, senpai and I had to book that room in advance!" Ichigo exclaimed, careful to keep out the time she eavesdropped his fight with Mari, the time Miya snuck in his office, and the time the two sweets spirits snuck in as well.

Henri sighed, and snapped his laptop closed. Clearing his desk, he leaned forward and gestured for her to place her hands in his. Hesitantly, Ichigo complied, and he gripped her hands gently.

"How do I state this? I am scared," Henri said simply.

"Of what? Why?" Ichigo asked.

"I am afraid of falling in love with someone who wouldn't see me the same way I see them. Much less a considerable age difference. Of course, I would be willing to be fight for the feelings I harbor as I won't just simply give up in life. But, I am afraid of dealing with the same pain that my grandfather had to deal with; he had to watch the love of his life from afar start her own family, with someone who wasn't him. And he had to start his own family with someone he has no feelings for. That's not a life I want to live," Henri confessed.

"Are you in love?" Ichigo asked.

He nodded.

"Do you really love this person?" Ichigo pressed.

"Yes. Yes, I do," Henri replied.

"Then tell this person. Tell them before it is too late. Don't let the person slip out of your fingers. Try to reason with them, to see if anything can work out. Don't be like him. Actually, step forward and voice it. I don't think your grandfather did that," Ichigo stated, "If he did, he could have started a relationship with my grandmother. Or some closure to the very least."

He sighed and shook his head, "Don't you understand?"

"What do I not understand, sensei?" Ichigo asked, offended.

"It's you," Henri relented, "It was always you."

"That can't be right," Ichigo said, attempting to tug her hands from his.

But he wouldn't let go, and if anything, he just held on tighter. "You laid out all the evidence in front of me, almost like a forensic scientist trying to solve a crime. You just didn't put them together. Why can't you see it? I thought it would be clear as day that I am in love with you!" Henri snapped.

"It's not so much so as not knowing, but accepting the truth," Ichigo sighed, feeling as if the world was spinning on her.

"What? So now you want to run away. You don't want to face this, face _us._ You would rather _turn your back_ on the possibility of what we can be. You would rather marry some ordinary person and live with that person because you don't want to accept the truth?" Henri asked, incredulous.

"It's not that!" Ichigo shouted, but then softened it, "It isn't. What would they say, what would happen if someone finds out while I am at the Academy? What if your family doesn't accept me?"

"I don't care what they think. I don't care what the whole world has to say. I only care about you, about us. I do understand that you do not want to be expelled as much as I do not want to get into an unnecessary scandal. We can keep it private until you graduate and wish to work professionally. Then we can be together, date as couples do for a couple years before being engaged and marrying," Henri explained.

Cupping her face in his two hands, he rested his forehead against hers.

"Just promise me you'll be mine."

Ichigo looked at his beautiful cerulean blue eyes that had captivated her at the sweets festival. Nodding her head, she said, "Yes. I promise."

And with that promise he kissed her forehead.

Later that day, Miya was scrutinizing her hand. More specifically what was _on her finger, around it._ Rotating her hand around like her limb was a chicken cooking in a rotisserie.

"Are you done?" Ichigo asked, bored.

"I thought wedding rings would be on you _left hand_ not your _right hand,_ " Miya muttered in concentration.

Ichigo sighed and tore her hand out of her friend's grasp, stating, "It is not a wedding ring, Miya, nor is it an engagement ring?"

"Then what else can it be? A fashion ring for fun?" Miya snorted, "I know you aren't one for jewelry, vintage ones at that."

"It's a promise ring," Ichigo sighed, "And a special one too."

 _-Flashback-_

" _Just promise me you'll be mine," Henri whispered, never taking his eyes off of hers._

 _Ichigo took a long look into his eyes before slowly nodding and replying, "Yes. I promise."_

 _After giving her a kiss on the forehead, he let go of her. Ichigo was about to awkwardly make a beeline for the exit door until he lifted his hand like a 'stop' sign, indicating to her to not leave while he searched for something._

 _Opening a drawer, he pulled out a box. And for a moment, Ichigo thought he was going to propose._

" _Not an engagement ring," Henri explained, as he lifted the lid to reveal a beautiful gold vintage ring with a small diamond, "Yet."_

" _What do you mean by that?" Ichigo asked, as he placed the ring on her right ring finger._

" _When you graduate, I will propose to you and place this ring on your left ring finger," Henri said, "This ring was the very same ring my grandfather bought. He planned to propose to Michiko but never got the chance to do so."_

"… _so he didn't return it?" Ichigo asked awkwardly._

" _I guess not. It held some sort of sentimental value to him. He felt like the simplicity, strength, and beauty of this ring represented your grandmother. And also, it represents you," Henri explained, tucking a lock of hair behind Ichigo's ear._

"Well now my friend is engaged," Miya said dramatically, "And…and I will be all alone!"

"It is JUST a promise ring, Miya," Ichigo laughed, "Also don't be too loud. If Vanilla and Marron hear, they will use my secret as gossip."

"I will put duct tape on their mouths if they dare try to gossip about it!" Miya proclaimed.

Ichigo laughed but was content with Miya's approval. Sitting down on her bed, wistfully looking at her promise ring, Ichigo asked, "So how are you and Kashino?"

"Well we spent time talking to each other, whether it be during lunch, or after school or maybe before going to class because the two of us are early birds," Miya explained, "And he apologized again for the criticizing all the ice cream flavors. He said they wasn't anything wrong with them, he was just nervous about having a date. But he acknowledged that it shouldn't be justifiable so he asked if we wanted to go on a second date."

"Oh, that's why you didn't join me and Rumi for lunch sometimes," Ichigo said slowly.

"Yeah, it was really sweet of him though. He would tell the other two boys that he wants to spend the lunch with me and we would eat together at a small table away from the others," Miya smiled, "It was a really good way to bond with him."

Ichigo smiled and was glad that Kashino truly felt bad about how he handled the first date and was really genuine about fixing things and getting to know Miya as a person. While she thought he would try to talk to her, she never knew he would take his time, and cut time out of her day to talk to her only. It was really sweet and even though she knew she butt heads with Kashino so many times in their rivalry, Ichigo knew Kashino was a kind person and that he would be a good friend for her and a perfect boyfriend for Miya.

"That's great! Do you know when your next date will be and where?" Ichigo asked excitedly.

Miya nodded and replied, "It will be on Saturday at the local movie theater. He reserved the back-row seats which give you the best view of the screen. And he said that this theater is almost like a restaurant where the seats are recliner seats and that there is a huge table between every two chairs so you can order food and drinks and a waiter or waitress will bring you your food. He said he will order lots of food because this is kind of a restaurant and movie in one, y'know?" (Like Alamo Drafthouse)

"That sounds nice! I am so happy for you two!" Ichigo smiled.

Then, Miya's phone beeped. The young girl checked her cell phone and groaned.

"What? What happened?" Ichigo asked.

"My annoying bratty cousin is transferring from the American branch of the academy to here," Miya sighed.

"Is there something wrong with him?" Ichigo asked.

Miya nodded and explained, "He is a huge flirt. He will hit on ladies left and right, but if he likes a person a lot, then he will constantly bug her just to make her his girlfriend. It's annoying. You might accuse me that I did the same, but at least I didn't touch him and swing him around and kiss him without permission."

"Oh my," Ichigo said, "When will he transfer over?"

"Tomorrow. He is already in Japan. Better watch out. He will definitely hit on you and he might favor you over others. Try your best to give him all the signs that you aren't interested and I will also try to keep him away from you if he gets all touchy. We do not want a jealous teacher," Miya added.

"I think if he hits on me that will make him jealous. Let's try to minimize it though," Ichigo added.

 **TBC**


End file.
